|
Myths about Organ
and Tissue Donation
One of the reasons for the donor shortage in this
country is that many myths and misconceptions exist,
particularly among those who have not personally
encountered individuals who are recipients or family
members of donors. Rumors, myths and
misunderstandings about organ donation and
transplantation are widespread. Urban legends about
organ donation and transplantation are uniquely
dangerous since organ transplantation cannot succeed
without the participation and support of the
majority of the population. These urban legends have
prevented full support for donation and led to the
death of people who might otherwise be currently
leading productive and happy lives.
Advice on How to Deal with Myths
If you hear a myth or receive a myth on your e-mail
about organ donation or transplantation, DO NOT PASS
IT ON! You should try to verify the story with the
originator, or try to check the story with the
authorities. You will probably find that the story
is not true. Here are examples of commonly heard
myths about organ donation/transplantation:
1. Myth: The man in the bathtub and other
black market myths. If you heard the story about the
traveling businessman who blacks out after having
drinks with a stranger and wakes up in a bathtub
full of ice with staples in his back from having his
kidneys surgically removed, then you have heard one
of the untrue urban legends about organ
transplantation.
Fact: There is no black market for organs.
First, it is illegal to buy and sell organs in the
United States. The National Organ Transplant Act
(Public Law 98-507) prohibits the sale of human
organs. Violators are subject to fines and
imprisonment. Second, the incision used to remove a
kidney is never located on the back. It is located
on the side of the body. Third, placing a donor in a
tub of ice is pointless. An ice bath is not
necessary for the successful recovery of an
individual who has donated a kidney and, in fact,
could cause harm. Fourth, due to the complex system
of transplantation, piracy is practically
impossible. The process of matching donors with
recipients, the need for highly skilled medical
professionals to perform the surgery, and the need
for modern medical facilities and support make it
highly unlikely that the transplantation system
could be duplicated in secret.
Back to top
2. Myth: The baby snatching myth. Myths about
children being brought into the United States for
adoption and then being murdered for their organs
have been traced back to at least 1986.
Fact: Babies are not being murdered for their
organs. First, it is illegal to buy and sell organs
in the United States. The National Organ Transplant
Act (Public Law 98-507) prohibits the sale of human
organs. Violators are subject to fines and
imprisonment. Second, no evidence has been produced
to support these myths. The system of organ
procurement is so complex that it would be virtually
impossible to duplicate in secrecy. In some other
countries the myth is more pervasive than in this
country. However, no claims have been supported.
3. Myth: You can sell your organs. This myth
is widespread and has been reported in the media
Fact: It is ILLEGAL to sell your organs in
the United States. It is against Federal law to sell
organs in the United States. This offense is
punishable by a fine and imprisonment. The National
Organ Transplant Act (Public Law 98-507) prohibits
the buying and selling of organs. Among the reasons
for this law is the concern of Congress that buying
and selling of organs might lead to inequitable
access to donor organs with the wealthy having an
unfair advantage.
4. Myth: People can rise from brain death.
Fact: The myth about rising from brain death is
quite popular. However, it actually stems from a
misunderstanding of brain death. It is impossible to
recover from brain death. Death can occur in two
ways: 1) when the heart and lungs stop functioning,
and 2) when the brain stops functioning. Brain death
occurs when a person has an irreversible,
catastrophic brain injury, which causes all brain
activity to stop permanently. In such cases, heart
and lung function can be maintained with the aid of
artificial life support. Brain death is an accepted
medical, ethical, and legal principle. In most
cases, organs can only be used where brain death
occurs.
Back to top
5. Myth: There is racial discrimination in
organ distribution. The urban legend is that organ
distribution discriminates by race and, therefore,
minority donor families should refuse donation since
the organs may not be transplanted into minority
patients.
Fact: The organ distribution system does not
discriminate by race. As an example, although they
comprise 12% of the population and 12% of kidney
donors in 1996, African Americans received 21% of
the kidneys donated. Minorities suffer end- stage
renal disease (ESRD), a very serious and
life-threatening kidney disease, much more
frequently than do people of European decent. The
preferred treatment for ESRD is kidney
transplantation. It is very important to assure a
close match between donor and recipient blood types
and genetic make-up. Members of different races and
ethnic groups are usually more genetically similar
to members of their own group than they are to
members of other racial and ethnic groups. It is
important therefore, to increase the minority donor
pool so that good matches can be made as frequently
as possible for minority patients.
6. Myth: The rich and famous get preferential
treatment on the U.S. waiting list. This urban myth
has been perpetuated mainly by the media.
Fact: Rich and famous patients do not receive
preferential treatment on the national organ waiting
list. First, patients are matched to donor organs
based on a number of factors including: blood and
tissue typing, medical urgency, time on the waiting
list, and geographical location. In addition,
patients are not listed on the waiting list by name.
The organ distribution system makes it highly
unlikely that individuals will receive organs solely
because they are rich and famous. Second, the
National Organ Transplant Act (Public Law 98-507)
was established to prevent this from occurring. The
law states that organ allocation should be based on
medical criteria and that the buying and selling of
organs is illegal.
Back to top
7. Myth: Organ recipients acquire their
donor's characteristics. This urban myth stems from
several reports from transplant recipients
themselves as well as the media.
Fact: It has never been scientifically proven
that transplant recipients acquire their donor's
characteristics. Although some transplant recipients
believe they acquired their donor's characteristics,
this phenomenon has never been proven. Transplanted
organs do not have a "memory" so there may be other
explanations for why recipients gain interest in
activities in which they previously had no interest.
Some have suggested the power of suggestion
(overhearing something while in the hospital about
an activity in which the donor had been involved but
the recipient had not) or that the experience of the
illness and transplant had an effect on the
individual causing the recipient to develop a liking
for certain activities not previously enjoyed
8. Myth: My religion does not support
donation.
Fact: All mainstream organized religions
approve of organ and tissue donation and consider it
an act of charity.
9. Myth: I don't need to tell my family that
I want to be a donor because I have it written in my
will.
Fact: By the time your will is read, it will
be too late to recover your organs. Telling your
family now that you want to be an organ and tissue
donor, and registering as a donor are the best ways
to ensure that your wishes are carried out.
Understanding: FAQs
List them as a drop down menu from FAQ’s so that you
can link directly to your question.
Q. Who can become a donor?
A. All individuals can indicate their intent to
donate (persons under 18 years of age must have
parent or guardian's consent). There are no age
limitations on who can donate. The deciding factor
on whether a person can donate is the person’s
physical condition, not the person’s age. Newborns
as well as senior citizens have been organ donors.
Medical suitability for donation is determined at
the time of death.
Back to top
Q. What can be donated?
A. Organs: heart, kidney(s), pancreas, lungs, liver,
and intestines. Tissues: cornea, skin, bone marrow,
heart valves, and connective tissue.
Q. Will the identity of the recipients be
revealed to the donor family?
A. The identity of both the donor and the recipient
is confidential. Organ Procurement Organizations (OPO)
provide the donor's family with basic information
about the recipients, such as age, sex, profession
and general location. Some donor families and
recipients choose to communicate through anonymous
letter writing.
Q. Will organ/tissue donation interfere with
funeral arrangements or change the donor's
appearance?
A. Removal of organs will not interfere with
customary funeral arrangements (including open
casket services). The operation is performed as soon
as possible under standard sterile conditions in a
hospital operating room by a surgeon and operating
team. There is no alteration in the donor's
appearance following organ or tissue donation.
Back to top
Q. How do I express my wishes to become an organ
and tissue donor?
A. Register as an organ donor, and indicate your
intent to be an organ and tissue donor on your
driver’s license. Remember to carry an organ donor
card, but most importantly, discuss your decision
with family members and loved ones. Click here to
register to donate. (link to registration page)
Q. If I sign a donor card or indicate my donation
preferences on my driver’s license, will my wishes
be carried out?
A. Because of new legislation in Michigan, an
anatomical gift made by a will or a document of gift
(e.g. donor registry card) would not be revocable
after the death of the donor, making the donor's
wishes paramount. Even if you sign a donor card, it
best to share your wishes with your family.
Q. If I sign a donor card, will it affect the
quality of medical care I receive at the hospital?
A. No! Every effort is made to save your life before
donation is considered. Organ and tissue recovery
takes place only after all efforts to save your life
have been exhausted and death has been legally
declared. The medical team treating you is
completely separate from the transplant team. The
organ procurement organization (OPO) is not notified
until all lifesaving efforts have failed and death
has been determined. The OPO does not notify the
transplant team until your family has consented to
donation.
Back to top
Q. Why should minorities be particularly
concerned about organ donation?
A. Some diseases of the kidney, heart, lung,
pancreas and liver are found more frequently in
racial and ethnic minority populations than in the
general population. For example, African Americans,
Asian and Pacific Islanders and Hispanics are three
times more likely to suffer from end-stage renal
disease than people of European decent. Native
Americans are four times more likely than people of
European decent to suffer from diabetes. Some of
these diseases are best treated through
transplantation; others can ONLY be treated through
transplantation. Successful transplantation often is
enhanced by the matching of organs between members
of the same ethnic and racial group. For example, a
patient is less likely to reject a kidney if it is
donated by an individual who is genetically similar.
Generally, people are genetically more similar to
people of their own ethnicity or race than to people
of other races.
Q. Are there any costs to my family for donation?
A. The donor’s family does NOT pay for the cost of
the organ donation. All costs related to donation of
organs and tissues are paid by the recipient,
usually through insurance, Medicare or Medicaid.
Q. Can I sell my organs?
A. No! The National Organ Transplant Act (Public Law
98-507) makes it ILLEGAL to sell human organs and
tissues. Violators are subject to fines and
imprisonment. Among the reasons for this rule is the
concern of Congress that buying and selling of
organs might lead to inequitable access to donor
organs with the wealthy having an unfair advantage.
Q. How are organs distributed?
A. Patients are matched to organs based on a number
of factors including blood and tissue typing,
medical urgency, time on the waiting list, and
geographical location.
Back to top
Q. Who will receive my organs and tissues?
A. The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)
maintains a national waiting list for vital organs.
When an organ becomes available the list is reviewed
to determine who will receive the organ. Criteria
include distance from the donor, blood and tissue
type, current physical condition and length of time
on the waiting list. Since time is very important,
local recipients are considered first, then regional
and then national recipients. Kidneys are the most
needed organs on the waiting list. Tissue banks do
not have a national waiting list and are allocated
through local tissue banks.
Q. If I indicate on my driver’s license I want to
be a donor, is that enough?
A. Most states encourage you to sign your driver’s
license indicating your wishes. We encourage you to
register and carry a donor card in addition to your
license. Sometimes the license is separated from a
person in an accident. One of the most important
elements of becoming an organ donor is that you
discuss your wishes with your next of kin and with
your family.
Q. What is required consent or required request?
A. In 1986 legislation was passed which required all
hospitals to develop protocol to ask the next of kin
for permission to procure the organs of the patient
at the time of impending death. This is why it is so
important to discuss donation with your family when
you register as an organ donor so they will know
your wishes.
Back to top
Q. What is brain death?
A. Death occurs in two ways; cessation of
cardiopulmonary function and cessation of brain
function. Brain death occurs when a person has an
irreversible, catastrophic brain injury, which
causes all brain activity to stop permanently.
Q. Can living people donate organs?
A. Under certain circumstances, a family member can
give a kidney to another member of the immediate
family (including mother, father, sister, brother).
A living person can also donate bone marrow and
certain parts of the pancreas.
Q. Will the body try to reject the new organ?
A. Yes. The recipient's body will identify the
transplanted organ as a foreign object and will
attempt to destroy it. Medication is required to
control this reaction.
Q. What happens if the organ is rejected?
A. Specialized medications are administered and can
often correct the rejection. If the rejection cannot
be corrected, lifesaving measures must be taken.
Attempts may be made to locate another organ for
retransplantation. Due to the shortage of donated
organs, many recipients die before another organ
becomes available. Fortunately, kidney/pancreas
transplant patients can return to dialysis or
insulin therapy while awaiting a retransplant.
Back to top
Q. How do organ/tissue recovery programs learn of
potential donors?
A. When medical personnel in a hospital have
identified a potential donor, they use a 24-hour
access number to contact the O.P.O. A procurement
transplant coordinator then assists the referring
hospital and the donor family with the medical,
legal, and ethical aspects of donation.
Q. Can organs/tissues be transplanted between
sexes and races?
A. In most cases, yes. Organ size is critical to
match donor and recipient hearts, livers and lungs.
Genetic makeup between kidney donors and recipients
is more critical; due to genetic makeup, African
Americans will "match" better with a kidney donated
from an African American than any other race as will
Asians to Asians, etc.
Q. How long must a patient wait for a transplant?
A. The time a patient spends on the waiting list for
an organ can vary from a few days to several years.
The length of their wait is affected by several
factors, such as the urgency of their medical
condition and the availability of donated organs.
Tissue banks have a very limited supply of donated
skin, bone, heart valves, tendons and corneas. All
patients awaiting an organ or tissue transplant
depend upon the generosity of donors and their
families to give the "gift of life".
**Information in this section has been provided by
Gift of Life Michigan
Back to top
credit to:
www.unos.or
www.hrsa.gov
www.kidney.org
www.shareyourlife.org
www.giftoflifemichigan.org
|
