Organ Donation

Vic41 · Senior Member

Organ Donation

Vic41 · Senior Member

Facts about Organ Donation - See this link for a full explanation;

http://www.transplant.org.au/The-Facts-About-Donation.html

It is interesting that even though you have consented on the Australian Organ Donor Register your family can still override your wishes if they are strongly opposed to it. For this reason it is very important to discuss your wishes with your family beforehand to let them know what your wishes are.

Vic41

-- Edited by Vic41 on Wednesday 27th of May 2009 11:58:38 PM

Vic41 · Senior Member

Religous groups rulings on organ donation;

http://www.transplant.org.au/Religious-Rulings.html

This link shows various religions and their rulings on organ donation, some may surprise you.

Some other Facts & Stats etc for your info below;

http://www.transplant.org.au/Facts---Stats.html

http://www.transplant.org.au/Default.aspx?PageID=1

Vic

-- Edited by Vic41 on Thursday 28th of May 2009 12:05:01 AM

-- Edited by Vic41 on Thursday 28th of May 2009 12:09:06 AM

Basil Faulty · Guru

I'm a donor. I did have doubts as to what good my worn out old chassis would be but there is also the option of donating your body to science. Saves the cost of burial/cremation, loved ones can just have a get together and raise a glass. I'm always the cheapskate, even in death I'm trying to save Money. Gonna be a problem though because I've asked for my ashes and Gracies to be interred together, hopefully she will pass away first......

Vic41 · Senior Member

Hi Basil,

There are still things they can harvest even from oldies, even from those with some illnesses etc, before they harvest anything they always check your hospital medical records to see what is what.

I would just register as a donor and that way Gracie gets her wish. I have known a couple of people that donated their bodies to science which happened on their demise, also a worthy cause.

My attitude to those who don't wish to donate their organs and tissues is I'll bet they are the first ones to be screaming for an organ if they or their loved ones ever needed an organ, there are not enough organs (people registered) to go around now and people are dying because of it. Only a small percentage of those who register ever die in the right circumstances to donate organs, although tissues are another matter. I believe that the families of those who are registered should have priority over those who don't.

By the way, anyone who has to be on Dialysis while travelling may find this link handy;

http://www.kidney.org.au/ForPatients/DialysisandTravel/tabid/608/Default.aspx

Kidney Health Australia also sell a booklet which is a guide to Dialysis Units around Australia etc, see;

http://www.kidney.org.au/ForPatients/HealthPublications/tabid/618/Default.aspx

They also have a number of fact sheets which are free, see side menu "Fact Sheets".

Vic

-- Edited by Vic41 on Thursday 28th of May 2009 11:16:18 AM

Basil Faulty · Guru

Hmmm the religious rulings are surprising.... Especially the Australian Aboriginals who have no single comment or opinion which is why one suspects reconciliation is imposible. I didn't fully understand that they did not see themselves as one people but rather several different groups with no single course.

Vic41 · Senior Member

Hi Basil, I know a number of Aboriginals who are live kidney donors (donated a kidney to a relative etc while alive) and also others who are kidney recipients and strong advocates for organ donation.

Having rattled tins for Kidney Health Australia and Transplant Australia, I had a number of Aboriginal people quietly come up to me and put money in the tin. Tin rattling is quite an experience, it is the ordinary folk are the ones that mostly donate, many dressed in their suits and ties strut by without giving you a second glance. By the way, I don't really rattle my tin (just a figure of speech), I just stand there, with my identification and cause shown on the tins etc. if people want to put money they do, I have never been disappointed and always get a reasonable amount of donations.

Regards
Vic

Wombat 280 · Guru

Interesting to see on tele this week that they can now wash and deflate lungs for transplants. Reportedly the rejection rate is way down. It sounded like even lungs from those with lung infections can be saved with this flushing method. Unfortunately the harvest window is very small, so if the victim is in a car accident and passes at the scene then it could be to late, for those passing in hospital the opportunities to successfully harvest increase .

We have had this discussion in earlier threads I'm sure but always good to bring it up now and again

Vic41 · Senior Member

Hi Wombat,

Yes it is marvelous what they can do these days and it is getting better as time goes by. One of the reasons they need so many to register is that only about 2% of those who register ever make it to the operating table do to various circumstances as you have pointed out.

Some tissues of those who die in road accidents can still be used (eg; corneas, bone, heart tissue, skin etc) as the time frame is a bit longer and blood supply is not so critical as it is for organs.

Info below from Donate West;

"For organ donation to be considered, the person must have died in an Intensive Care Unit of a hospital as a result of brain death. Brain death occurs when the brain stops functioning following a severe injury through trauma, stroke or lack of oxygen of which there is no prospect of recovery. Tests are carried out by two senior doctors not involved in transplantation to establish whether brain death has occurred.

Tissue donation can take place after circulatory death has occurred, which is when the heart has stopped beating. Tissue donation can take place up to 24hours following death."

I did do a search for Organ Donation on the site but nothing came up, so maybe I should have tried a couple of different headings, eg; Transplants etc, so sorry to all if I am repeating an old subject.

Vic

Vic41 · Senior Member

Myths about Organ Donation, (am I too old etc, ) worth reading; see link below;

http://www.transplant.org.au/Myths.html

-- Edited by Vic41 on Thursday 28th of May 2009 06:41:19 PM

Cruising Granny · Guru

Organ donation and blood donation is very noble and wonderful in these days of progressive medical science.
I can't donate blood, and I think my body parts will be too buggered to implant into anyone else's body.
I wish I could donate blood, and I guess someone will decide if my bits are worthy of implanting into someone else.
While I've discovered that life is wonderful, I'm finding out my death could be wonderful for someone else.
It's all good.

Vic41 · Senior Member

Organ Donation & World Transplant Games

jandas fun · Guru

RE: Organ Donation

Wombat · Veteran Member

I've already donated part of me. Had a hip replacement and gave my neck of femur (The ball part) to the bone bank. Done the donation (Organ) paperwork and made sure the family knows my wishes.

As a funny aside, I contacted the medical school and offered my remains for their use. Question, are you complete.........what do you mean complete asks I...........Well.....pause, do you have implants or similar asks they.........Yep sure do...a beaut metal hip and about 3 dozen staples in my gut. Sorry sir cannot use you.......ah well, the harvesters can have what is usefull to others.

Seriously everyone should be a donor and I support the opt out system. Unless you say in writting that you are out...then your in.

Regards
GOF biggrin

Vic41 · Senior Member

Thanks John, my main aim is to get the message across and help some who may not know fill in the gaps about organ donation and what it can meant to others lives.

Wombat, donating bits is a great thing to do and you are to be applauded, what we don't need can make a big difference to someone else.

A friend of mine was the founder of the Organ Donors Association of Australia and was a great advocate of the Spanish Model where you are in unless you opt out, the Spanish have the greatest organ donation rated in the World. He lobbied the Australian Government relentlessly to adopt this policy, however they haven't had the courage to implement it yet, but the message is getting through.

He had willed his body to the medical school and when he died he was working on his website on his PC, he was very proud of his website, the information and research he had on it was mind blowing. When he died his Association and Website died with him. I spoke at his funeral, it was funny having a funeral without a body present, but I know he was there in spirit. A living donor friend and organ donor advocate died just recently, and they donated their body to science also.

Vic
PS: I had to get rid of my new avatar, it was overwhelming, lol.

Vic41 · Senior Member

Word of Caution on Anonymous Live Kidney Donation ;

In WA (I am not sure whether other states are allowing this yet) it is legal to donate a kidney while living to an anonymous recipient and a number have already been done in this way.

While I believe it is ok to donate a kidney as a living donor to a family member or good friend anonymous donation is not such a good idea IMHO (In my humble opinion). A person wanting to do this in WA contacts a WA transplant hospital and if they are suitable for live donation after an interview and a series of tests are then matched with a suitable recipient on the waiting list for a kidney. The identity of the receiving person remains anonymous as is the identity of the donor to the recipient.

Live donation is not without its risks, and it may well be that the donor may suffer complications after the donation and indeed have one of their own kidney fail which means they do not have a reserve kidney and have to go on dialysis if suited for that and go on the waiting list for a kidney themselves. There has also been at least one that I know of in Australia where the live donor has died on the operating table during the transplant.

I know a couple of people that have been live anonymous donors for altruistic reasons (wanting to help another human being), however one of these has now found that their 11 year old son needs a kidney after his kidneys failed and they are unable to give him one of theirs as they had already donated anonymously. Rather than being an anonymous live kidney donor, I believe that in a situation where your are not related/friends etc, that you are better off just being registered as a donor upon your demise.

I'll get off my soapbox now, anonymous live donation is something I am not in favour of but this is just my own opinion, others may think differently. I have had a transplant nurse tell me that no way would she ever consider doing it also.

Vic

Basil Faulty · Guru

Vic41 wrote:

Word of Caution on Anonymous Live Kidney Donation ;

In WA (I am not sure whether other states are allowing this yet) it is legal to donate a kidney while living to an anonymous recipient and a number have already been done in this way.

While I believe it is ok to donate a kidney as a living donor to a family member or good friend anonymous donation is not such a good idea IMHO (In my humble opinion). A person wanting to do this in WA contacts a WA transplant hospital and if they are suitable for live donation after an interview and a series of tests are then matched with a suitable recipient on the waiting list for a kidney. The identity of the receiving person remains anonymous as is the identity of the donor to the recipient.

Live donation is not without its risks, and it may well be that the donor may suffer complications after the donation and indeed have one of their own kidney fail which means they do not have a reserve kidney and have to go on dialysis if suited for that and go on the waiting list for a kidney themselves. There has also been at least one that I know of in Australia where the live donor has died on the operating table during the transplant.

I know a couple of people that have been live anonymous donors for altruistic reasons (wanting to help another human being), however one of these has now found that their 11 year old son needs a kidney after his kidneys failed and they are unable to give him one of theirs as they had already donated anonymously. Rather than being an anonymous live kidney donor, I believe that in a situation where your are not related/friends etc, that you are better off just being registered as a donor upon your demise.

I'll get off my soapbox now, anonymous live donation is something I am not in favour of but this is just my own opinion, others may think differently. I have had a transplant nurse tell me that no way would she ever consider doing it also.

Vic

With you on that Vic. Giving a kidney to a relative who is a match is one thing but doing it anonymously is another. As you say there is considerable pain and risk associated with Kidney donation, I'd do it for my kids but not just as an excercise anon.