California Estate Planning Lawyer Blog

· The “required request” law applies in most states. This means that hospitals have to inform families about organ donation.

· Each hospital has specific procedures and policies about how to ID potential organ donors.

· Hospitals with Medicare and Medicaid programs must also notify an organ procurement organization (OPO) of potential donors.

· Most donors give multiple organs. For example, the heart, liver, kidneys, pancreas and lungs might be taken from one donor. The hospital staff person in charge of identifying donors will find out if the organs are suitable for transplant. Then this person works with the OPO representative to coordinate the distribution of organs.

The Organ Donation Process
Once a person has been identified as a potential organ donor, and a declaration of death has been made—meaning that the person’s brain and cardiovascular and respiratory functions are no longer functioning:

· Consent for Organ Donation is Obtained:The transplant coordinator or family services coordinator meets with the potential donor's next of kin, or other authorized party, to offer the opportunity for donation. This conversation is carefully timed and only takes place after the next of kin is given time to understand their loved one is brain dead. Detailed information is provided about the organ donation process including which organs and/or tissues may be donated, how and when the recovery will take place, testing that will be required to determine the medical suitability of the donations, and how the organs and/or tissues will be distributed to the patients needing transplants. After making the decision to donate, the next of kin will be asked to sign a consent form documenting which organs and/or tissues they wish to donate.

· Medical Examiner/Coroner:Prior to the recovery of any organs or tissues, the transplant coordinator must also contact the appropriate county Medical Examiner or coroner if the death is under their jurisdiction.

· Organ Allocation and Recipient Identification:Each patient awaiting an organ transplant is listed on a national computerized waiting list that is maintained by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) in Richmond, VA. This registry contains detailed information about each patient including their blood type, degree of medical urgency and other data important for matching donors to recipients. This registry changes constantly as new patients are added to the list, and as other patients either receive a transplant, die waiting, or due to a change in medical condition, are removed from the list.

Specific information about each donor, including his or her blood type and body size, are entered into the national computer system. An individualized list is generated for each donor that identifies patients who match for those particular organs. There is a different list generated for each and every donor. Each available organ is allocated according to medical urgency, degree of match to the donor and time waiting. The transplant coordinator then contacts the transplant center where each potential recipient is waiting and provides detailed, confidential information about the donor. The transplant surgeon always makes the final decision about whether or not the donor and intended recipient is a good match.

· Organ Recovery Procedure:The recovery of the organs is performed in the Operating Room where the donor is being cared for. The transplant coordinator oversees the arrival and departure of the surgical recovery teams. The recovery team consists of surgeons, nurses, the transplant coordinator and an organ preservation technician.

· Organ Preservation:Just prior to being removed from the donor, each organ is flushed free of blood with a specially prepared ice-cold preservation solution that contains electrolytes and nutrients. The organs are then placed in sterile containers, packaged in wet ice, and transported to the recipient's transplant center. It is important to transport the organs from the donor to each intended recipient as quickly as possible. Hearts and lungs must be transplanted within approximately 4 hours after being removed from the donor. Livers can be preserved between 12 - 18 hours; pancreas can be preserved 8 - 12 hours; intestines can be preserved approximately 8 hours; kidneys can be preserved 24 - 48 hours.

· Donor Family Follow-up:After the organ transplants have been completed, a letter is sent to the donor's family that includes information about the outcome of the donations. Care is taken to preserve the identity and location of the recipient(s), but general information is given about how they are doing after receiving their transplant. Similar letters are also sent to the doctors and nurses who cared for the donor at the hospital.

Organ donation is an estate planning matter, and Sagaria Law P.C. handles estate planning cases in Santa Clara County, Monterey County, and Alameda County. Other estate planning matters include: Conservatorships, Living Wills, Living Trusts, Trusts, Guardianships, Powers of Attorney, and Powers of Appointment. Contact Sagaria Law, P.C. today for a free, no obligation consultation.

Families' Losses Teaches Others To Become Organ Donors, Nevadaappeal.com, November 30, 2006

Organ Donation, American Heart.org

Organ Donation Process, New York Organ Donor

Related Web Resource:

Donate Life, Organdonor.gov