Organ Donation is the process of surgically removing a healthy organ (part of the body needed to carry out a specific function such as liver, heart, etc) or biological tissue (cornea of the eye, heart valve) from one person (Donor) and transplant to a living recipient whose organ has failed or not working properly due to disease/injury.
Need for Organ Donation
Approximately 0.5 million Indians die every year because they did not receive organ transplantation due to the unavailability of organs (Figure 1)
Organ donation rates in India are very low (0.08% of total requirement) as compared to other countries [Croatia (36.5%) & Spain (35.3%)]. The number of organ transplants performed annually runs in few thousands, however, India needs about 5 lakh organs annually. There is undoubtedly a severe shortage of organs with 15 patients dying every day waiting for an organ and 1 person is added to this waiting list every 10 min.
What is the reason for the low organ donation rates in India?
- Lack of awareness: Many people believe that the eye and kidney are the only organs that can be donated.
- Religious beliefs that prevent donation or even acceptance of organs: However, in reality, no religion opposes the charitable act of saving lives through organ donation.
- The spiritual belief of life after death
- Fear of disfigurement of the body after organ harvesting post-death: The donor is, however, treated with respect, all the incisions are surgically closed and dressing is done before handing over the donor body to relatives
- Relatives are hesitant to donate organs of their “brain dead” loved ones
What are the types of Organ Donation?
The organs can be donated by a deceased donor (after death) or a living donor (who can donate an organ while alive).
Table 1: Types of organ donation| Types | Living Organ Donation | Deceased Organ Donation |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Organ is retrieved from a healthy living person for transplantation in ill recipient | Organs are retrieved from a person who is declared brain dead (irreversible loss of consciousness, functions & breathing capacity) |
| Example |
|
All viable organs & tissues (Heart, cornea, etc. ) |
What organs and tissues can be donated?
- Internal organs: Kidneys, heart, liver, pancreas, intestines, lungs
Organ Living Donor Deceased Donor Kidney
(1 kidney)
(2 kidneys)Heart Liver
((Part of the liver)
(can be divided into 2 parts to transplant in 2 patients)Pancreas
(Part of the pancreas)Intestines
(Very rare)Lungs
(single lobe of the lung)
- Tissues: Skin, bone and bone marrow, cornea, heart valves, cartilages, ligaments, veins, and tendons are usually retrieved from a deceased donor within 6hours of heath.
- Burns
- Acid-attack victims
- Breast reconstruction surgery
Table 2: Tissues donation
| Tissues | Use of Transplantation |
|---|---|
| Cornea/Eye | Corrects blindness |
| Skin | Used as grafting in |
| Bones | Replacement of cancerous bone |
| Veins | Cardiac bypass surgery |
Who can donate?
Anyone can be a potential organ and tissue donor irrespective of age, caste, or religion. It's entirely your wish, what you are willing to donate. However, people aged less than 18 can only register themselves as donors in agreement with their parents/guardians.
People with active cancer, HIV, Ebola virus, diabetes, kidney disease, or heart disease can not become living donors.
How long does an organ survive after retrieval?
Once an organ is retrieved from a deceased body by a team of experts, it needs to be immediately transplanted in recipients [Table 3]
Table 3: Viability of organs after retrieval| Organ | Time frame [viability] in hrs |
|---|---|
| Liver | 6 – 12 hrs |
| Kidney | Up to 30 hrs |
| Heart & Lungs | 4 -6 hrs |
| Intestines | 6 hrs |
| Pancreas | 6 hrs |
Organ donation is a noble, generous and priceless act…A single donor is capable to save 8 lives and help over 50 people. Let's all take a pledge to donate organs after death and save precious lives.
