One donor can save and improve the quality of life of up to 75 people through skin for severe burn victims, heart valve for a person suffering from a defective valve, bone grafts which are used to repair or replace bone after serious injury, bone cancer, spine surgery or crippling disease.

Who can be a tissue or organ donor?
Infants to the elderly can be considered potential tissue donor. The age and sex of a person will determine what tissues are eligible to be donated.

What is the difference between tissue and organ donation?
Your medical condition at the time of death will determine if you can be a tissue and/or organ donor. A person is declared dead when one of two things occurs: 1) Cardiac/Respiratory Arrest and/or 2) Brain death.

1. If a person dies due to a cardiac/respiratory arrest, where the heart has stopped pumping blood to the organs in the body then this person can be a potential tissue and eye donor. For example, if a person dies at the scene of a car accident then this person can be a potential tissue and eye donor and not an organ donor because the heart has already stopped. Although an autopsy is performed, tissue and eye donation may still occur. Tissue and Eye donation can be recovered up to 24 hours after the time of death.
2. After all tests are conducted and there is no brain activity, a person is declared brain dead. After a doctor has pronounced someone brain dead they are eligible to be a tissue and organ donor. Organ donation must occur prior to cardiac death (heart stops beating).

Does a person who registers with a donor registry program or signs a donor card to be a tissue donor automatically become a donor or is it a separate process?
Most donor registry programs and donor cards provide the following boxes to check:

I wish to donate the following:

• Any needed tissues and organs
• Only the following tissues and organs

It is very important to share your decision to be a donor with family members. At the time of death, the next-of-kin is approached for medical and social history.

Why is it important to make sure your family is aware of your decision to donate?
Sharing your decision to become a donor is just as important as making the decision. Joining your state Donor Registry is more than just an expression of interest in becoming a donor. It is now a legal way to give consent for tissue, organ and eye donation upon your death. Losing a loved one is an emotional time for family members. If they are aware of your decision it will avoid confusion. It’s also important to tell family members about your decision because a medical and social history is needed at the time of death and the next-of-kin is approached for that information. Deciding to donate life can also provide your family with great comfort in their time of grief.

Will I be disfigured and unable to have a funeral?
No, there will not be any visible disfigurement. Every effort is made to avoid interfering with the funeral arrangements planned by your family.

If I sign a donor card, will that affect the quality of my medical care?
No. Only after all efforts have been exhausted in saving your life, death has been declared by the doctor, and consent has been given by the next-of-kin, will tissue and organ recovery take place. The doctors working to save your life are separate from the medical team involved in recovering your tissues and organs. The donation process is a surgical procedure that takes place in an operating room environment.

How much will it cost my family to donate my tissue and organs?
There is no cost to the family or estate.

Will my family know who gets my tissues and organs?
No. Confidentiality is provided both for the donor families and the recipients. The recovery agency may act as a liaison if the recipient wishes to correspond with the donor family. It is only if both parties are in agreement to meet that the names are released.

Can excess skin be donated to a skin bank?
We frequently receive calls from individuals who have lost large amounts of weight and are having surgery to remove excess skin which they would like to donate. While we appreciate their altruism, this kind of donation is impractical.

It is virtually impossible to obtain skin grafts from tissue removed during tissue reduction surgery. The usual procedure for tissue reduction surgery involves the removal of skin and underlying attached tissues. Skin grafts used for transplant are only 15/1000 (0.015) of an inch thick and do not include these underlying tissues. Skin grafts for transplant are retrieved from deceased donors by the use of a surgical device called a dermatome, which removes a very thin, uniform layer of skin, and only works on skin that is stretched taut over and firmly attached to muscles, such as on the donor's back and legs. Skin removed at the time of weight reduction surgery lacks the firm attachment to underlying tissues, and so the dermatome does not work properly.

We appreciate your desire to help severely burned patients, and we encourage you to sign your donor card and discuss this decision with your family. Your gift can save and enhance the lives of many people. Be a hero. Become a tissue and organ donor.

Did you know that the only thing greater than the miracles made possible by tissue transplants is the need for more donations.

© Community Tissue Services™