Organ Transplants

Organ transplants are becoming more and more common thanks to the advances in medicine and the growing number of people who choose to donate their organs. Deciding to be an organ donor is a very personal choice, and making your wishes known can be done by making a choice stating on your drivers license that you are a donor. The decision to donate your organs can save lives by giving someone who desperately needs a transplant a second chance at life. It can also help enhance the lives of others who are in need of tissue donation. One person can save up to eight lives through organ donation.

The organs that can be donated include the heart, liver, kidneys, and lungs. It isn't a simple process. There are many ethical and medical considerations that must be decided upon before a transplant can occur. In order to determine a good match between the donor and the recipient, there are certain tests and markers that must be passed. Serotyping is done to make sure the donors and recipients are compatible so the risk of rejection is low. This is also done to ensure that the donor's don't have any types of diseases that will potentially harm the recipient. Of course, the natural immune response of the body is to reject the organ, so patients who have had transplant surgery must take anti-rejection medications for the rest of their lives.

Coordinating a transplant can be a very involved process. The organs go to whoever is at the top of the list and has the highest compatibility with the donated organs. In order for the organs to stay viable and start working correctly in the recipient, they must be removed from the donor's body within 24 hours post the last heartbeat. It is also usually done after the prospective donor has been declared brain dead and there is absolutely no hope for recovery.