Organ Donation - LPNI

A gift with a major impact—one that will long be remembered with gratitude—takes just a bit of preparation. When you become an organ donor, you can save the lives of up to eight people. And if you donate tissues like blood cells, bone or corneas, you can help even more.

Organ transplantation was once considered an experimental procedure with a low success rate. Many transplanted organs survived just a few days or weeks. But researchers have transformed transplant surgery from risky to routine. It’s now the treatment of choice for patients with end-stage organ disease . Each day, about 80 Americans receive a life-saving organ transplant.

“The outcomes of transplantation are really so good these days that it truly makes a difference for the people who receive organ transplants,” says Dr. Sandy Feng, a transplant surgeon at the University of California, San Francisco. “The organs are clearly lifesaving.”

The kidney is the most commonly transplanted organ. More than 20,000 kidney transplantations were performed in the U.S. last year. The wait, though, can be long. In 2019, more than 80 percent of people on the waiting list for an organ were waiting for a kidney. Next most commonly transplanted is the liver, with more than 8,000 surgeries in 2018. That’s followed by the heart, lungs, pancreas and intestines.

You can donate some organs—like a kidney or part of your liver—while you’re still alive. You have two kidneys, but really need only one; and the liver can re-grow if part of it is removed. But donating these organs requires major surgery, which carries risks. That’s why living donors are often family or friends of the transplant recipient.

Most organs, though, are donated after the donor has died. The organs must be recovered quickly after death to be usable. Many come from patients who’ve been hospitalized following an accident or stroke. Once all life-saving efforts have failed and the patient is declared dead, then organ donation becomes a possibility.

“When a person dies, it can feel like a burden to a family to make decisions about organ donation,” says Feng. “So it would be a real gift to a family to indicate your decision to be an organ donor while you’re still alive, so they don’t have to make the decision for you.”

In addition to organs, you can donate tissues. One of the most commonly transplanted tissues is the cornea, the transparent covering over the eye. A transplanted cornea can restore sight to someone blinded by an accident, infection or disease. Donated skin tissue can be used as grafts for burn victims. Donated bones can replace cancerous bones. Donated veins can be used in cardiac bypass surgery.

You can help reduce the need for donated organs in the first place by living well. Lower your risk of developing a long-term disease that could lead to organ failure by being physically active and eating a healthy diet, rich with high-fiber foods, fruits and vegetables. Talk to your doctor about your weight, blood pressure and cholesterol. And while you’re taking these healthy steps, be sure to sign up to be an organ donor so you can help others as well.

"The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod encourages organ donation as an act of Christian love, but this choice is entirely up to the individual and/or his or her family and should not be a cause of guilt or regret no matter what decision is made. The Bible has nothing specific to say regarding this issue. Therefore, it is a matter of Christian freedom and personal (or family) discretion". (from LCMS Views- Life Issues)

Information from the National Institute of Health, March 2011

https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/issue/mar2011/feature1 and

https://www.organdonor.gov/statistics-stories/statistics.html 2020

Ronda Anderson RN

LCMS Iowa District East Parish Nurse District Representative

Parish Nurse, Bethany Lutheran Church, Cedar Rapids, IA 52403 USA