Organ donation is made from the removal of an organ or tissue from a voluntary donor or from a person who died and who authorized the removal and donation of their organs and subsequent transplantation to a person who needs that organ in order to to give continuity to your life.
To be an organ donor in Brazil, you must inform the family of this desire, since there is no need to leave it registered in any document. It is now possible to donate kidneys, liver, heart, pancreas and lungs, as well as tissues such as cornea, skin, bones, cartilage, blood, heart valves and bone marrow.
Some organs, such as a kidney or a piece of the liver, for example, can be donated in life, however most organs that can be transplanted can only be taken from people who have had confirmation of brain death.
Who can donate organs
Virtually all healthy people can donate organs and tissues, even if they are alive, because certain organs can be shared. However, most donations happen in cases of:
- Brain death, which is when the brain stops working completely, and because of this, the person will never recover. This usually happens by accident, falls or after a stroke. In this case, virtually all healthy organs and tissues can be donated;
- After cardiac arrest, such as infarction or arrhythmias: in this case, they can only donate tissues, such as cornea, vessels, skin, bones and tendons, because as the circulation has been stopped for a while, this can impair the functioning of organs such as the heart and kidneys, for example;
- People who have died at home can donate only the corneas, and up to 6 hours after death, because the stopped blood circulation can damage the other organs, putting at risk the life of the person who would receive;
- In case of anencephaly, which is when the baby has a bad formation and does not have the brain: in this case, there is a short time of life and, after confirmation of death, all their organs and tissues can be donated to other babies who are in need.
There is no age limit for donating organs, but it is vital that they are working perfectly because the donor's health status will determine whether organs and tissues can be transplanted or not.
Who can not donate
Donation of organs and tissues is not allowed for people who have died due to infectious diseases or who have seriously damaged the organism because the function of the organ may be compromised or the infection can be transferred to the person who will receive the organ .
Thus, the donation is not indicated for people who have had severe renal insufficiency or liver, heart or lung insufficiency, since in these cases there is great impairment of circulation and functioning of these organs, as well as cancer with metastasis and infectious and transmissible diseases such as HIV, hepatitis B, C or Chagas disease, for example. In addition, organ donation is contraindicated in cases of serious infections by bacteria or viruses that have reached the bloodstream.
Organ donation is also contraindicated if the prospective donor is in a coma. However, if the brain death is confirmed after some tests, the donation can be made.
How is the transplant done?
After authorization from the donor or your family, the donor will undergo tests that will evaluate your health condition and the compatibility with the person you will receive. The removal of the organ is done in a surgical center, as in other surgeries, and then the donor's body will be closed carefully by the surgeon physician.
The recovery of a person who has received organ or tissue transplantation is the same as that of any surgery, with rest and use of pain medications such as Ibuprofen or Dipirone, for example. However, in addition to this, the person will have to take medicines called immunosuppressants, throughout life, to avoid rejection of the new organ by the body.
One can only choose who will receive the organs and tissues when the donation is made in life. Otherwise, it will receive who is on the waiting list in the queue of the transplant center, in order of waiting time and need.
What you can give in life
The organs and tissues that can be donated still in life are the kidney, part of the liver, bone marrow and blood. This is possible because the donor can lead a normal life even after these donations.
Liver
Only part of the liver, about 4 cm, can be donated through this surgery, and the recovery is the same as a small abdominal surgery in a few days. Because of its regenerative capacity, this organ reaches an ideal size in about 30 days, and the donor can lead a normal life without damage to his health.
Kidney
The donation of the kidney does not harm the life of the donor, and it happens by a procedure of few hours. The recovery is fast and, if things go well, within 1 or 2 weeks, you can already be at home and the return to medical appointments is done for follow-up.
In addition, for the donation of part of the liver and kidney the person must authorize this donation, which can be made only for a relative of up to the fourth degree or, if not for relatives, only with permission from the court. The donation of these organs is done after a thorough evaluation by a general practitioner for physical, blood and imaging tests, such as computed tomography, which will check for genetic and blood compatibility, and if the donor is healthy, to decrease the chances of harm your body and who will receive the transplant.
Bone marrow
To donate bone marrow, it is necessary to enroll in the National Bone Marrow Donor Registry database of the Ministry of Health, which will contact the donor if anyone in need is compatible. The procedure is very simple, with anesthesia, and lasts about 90 minutes, and the discharge can happen the next day. Learn more about the steps for bone marrow donation.
Blood
In this donation are collected about 450 ml of blood, which can only be made by people over 50 kg, and the person can donate blood every 3 months for men and 4 months for women. To donate blood, one must look for the blood center of the city at any time, because these donations are always necessary for the treatment of many people, in surgeries or emergencies. Find out which diseases prevent blood donation.
The donation of blood and bone marrow can be done several times and for different people, there are no limits as long as the person wants and is healthy for it.
