6 Things that Effect Ranking with Organ Donations
When a deceased organ donor is identified, a transplant coordinator from an organ procurement organization accesses the UNet system and enters necessary medical information about the donor. The system uses this information to match the medical characteristics of the candidates waiting against those of the donor. The system then generates a ranked list of patients who are suitable to receive each organ. This list is called a "match run."
Factors affecting ranking may include:
1. Tissue match
2. Blood type
3. Length of time on the waiting list
4. Immune status
5. Distance between the potential recipient and the donor
6. Degree of medical urgency (for heart, liver, lung and intestines)
Donated tissues such as skin, bone and heart valves can dramatically improve the quality of life for recipients, and even save lives.
Most tissues are donated after death by people who previously committed to donation. Unlike organs, tissues can be donated up to 24 hours after a person's heart has stopped beating.
More than half of the national transplant waiting list is made up of multicultural populations. That's because some diseases of the kidney, heart, lung, pancreas and liver that are best treated through transplantation are found more frequently in these populations. For example, African Americans and other minorities are three times more likely to suffer from end-stage renal disease than Caucasians.
Although it is possible for a candidate to match a donor from another racial or ethnic group, transplant success rates increase when organs are matched between members of the same ethnic background.
Consequently, a lack of organs donated by multicultural populations can contribute to longer waiting periods for transplantation.
Grief-stricken family members have often said their sorrow has been eased by the knowledge that their personal tragedy gave new life to another person, and that it provided some meaning to an otherwise senseless death. Many more families today are raising the issue of organ donation themselves because they are aware of its lifesaving value.
Cornea donation is necessary for the preservation and restoration of sight.
That's because the cornea is the clear dome-like window covering the front of the eye that allows the light to pass through to the retina, which enables us to see.
When consent for donation is given, corneas must be surgically removed from a deceased donor within twelve hours of their death. Very few conditions exclude people from cornea donation.
Most religions are in favor of organ donation as acts of charity and as a means of saving a life. Some impose certain restrictions. For example, Jehovah's Witnesses require that organs be drained of any blood, and Muslims require that the donor have provided written consent in advance. A few, such as certain branches of Orthodox Judaism consider it obligatory. However, a few groups disfavor organ transplantation or donation; notably, these include Shinto.
There are four different legislative approaches to the donation, if the donor has not explicitly dissented. The least restrictive approach is the dissent solution, according to which the donor has to explicitly dissent to donation during his lifetime. According to the extended dissent solution, relatives may dissent in the event the potential donor has not consented.
About the Author:
Hal is the author of several critically acclaimed ebooks specifically written to help people deal with end of life issues. His ebooks include topics such as: cremation, writing and delivering a eulogy, eco-friendly green funerals, funeral planning, organ donation, and buying and selling cemetery plots. To find out more about his CemeterySpot family of free services and resources, to learn more about his books, and to get a free gift, please visit: http://www.cemeteryspot.com.