Organ donation takes healthy organs and tissues from one person for transplantation into another. Experts say that the organs from one donor can save or help as many as 50 people. Organs you can donate include
- Internal organs: Kidneys, heart, liver, pancreas, intestines, lungs
- Skin
- Bone and bone marrow
- Cornea
People of all ages and background can be organ donors. If you are under age 18, your parent or guardian must give you permission to become a donor. If you are 18 or older you can show you want to be a donor by signing a donor card. You should also let your family know your wishes.
National Women's Health Information Center
-
JAMA Patient Page: Organ Donation(American Medical Association) - Links to PDF - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/299/2/244.pdf
- Organ Donation and Transplantation(National Women's Health Information Center) - http://womenshealth.gov/faq/organ_donation.htm
- Kidneys from Older Donors Function Very Well(09/18/2008, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69427.html
- Complications Common for Living Liver Donors(09/09/2008, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69053.html
- Infant Heart Transplant Controversy Continues(08/13/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_68129.html
- Donation FAQs (Bone and Tissue Allografts)(Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation) - http://www.mtf.org/donor/faq.html
- Living Donation(United Network for Organ Sharing) - http://www.transplantliving.org/livingdonation/
- Living Donation Types(United Network for Organ Sharing) - http://www.transplantliving.org/livingdonation/types/
-
JAMA Patient Page: Brain Death(American Medical Association) - Links to PDF - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/299/18/2232.pdf
- Keeping Human Tissue Transplants Safe(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2005/305_tissue.html
- Organ Donation 101 [and Ethnic Minorities](Dept. of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health) - http://www.omhrc.gov/templates/content.aspx?ID=3123
- Organ Donation: Don't Let These 10 Myths Confuse You(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/organ-donation/FL00077/METHOD=print
- Organ/Tissue Donation: Statements from Various Religions(American Red Cross) - http://www.redcross.org/donate/tissue/relgstmt.html
- Understanding Donation: Multicultural Perspectives(Coalition on Donation) - http://www.donatelife.net/UnderstandingDonation/Multicultural.php
-
Who Can Be an Organ Donor?(American Society of Transplantation) - Links to PDF - http://www.a-s-t.org/files/pdf/patient_education/english/AST-EdBroDONATE-EN.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.a-s-t.org/files/pdf/patient_education/spanish/ast-edbrodonate-span.pdf
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Living Donors(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Living+Donors%22
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Tissue Donors
(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Tissue+Donors%22
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Deceased pediatric donor kidneys: An underused resource. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18795452&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: A decade of right liver adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation:... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18791361&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: No evidence that presumed consent increases organ donation. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18786969&tool=MedlinePlus
- Organ Donation -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=((organ+preservation[majr]+OR+tissue+and+organ+procurement[majr]+OR+tissue+and+organ+harvesting[majr]+OR+tissue+donors[majr])+NOT+blood+donors[mh])+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(jsubsetk[text]+OR+review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Glossary(United Network for Organ Sharing) - http://www.unos.org/resources/glossary.asp
- Accredited Bank List(American Association of Tissue Banks) - http://www.aatb.org/content.asp?contentid=458
- Body Donation Programs in the United States(Florida, Anatomical Board) - http://www.med.ufl.edu/anatbd/usprograms.html
- Organ Procurement Organizations(Health Resources and Services Administration, Dept. of Health and Human Services) - http://www.organdonor.gov/organizations/organ_procurement.htm
- Coalition on Donation - http://www.donatelife.net/
- Eye Bank Association of America - http://www.restoresight.org/
- National Organ and Tissue Donation Initiative(Health Resources and Services Administration) - http://www.organdonor.gov/
- United Network for Organ Sharing - http://www.unos.org/
- 25 Facts about Organ Donation and Transplantation(National Kidney Foundation) - http://www.kidney.org/news/newsroom/fs_new/25factsorgdon&trans.cfm
- Organ Facts(United Network for Organ Sharing) - http://www.transplantliving.org/beforethetransplant/organfacts/default.aspx
- Blood Transfusion and Donation - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bloodtransfusionanddonation.html
- Bone Marrow Transplantation - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bonemarrowtransplantation.html
- Heart Transplantation - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hearttransplantation.html
- Islet Cell Transplantation - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/isletcelltransplantation.html
- Kidney Transplantation - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/kidneytransplantation.html
- Liver Transplantation - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/livertransplantation.html
- Lung Transplantation - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/lungtransplantation.html
- Organ Transplantation - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/organtransplantation.html
- Pancreas Transplantation - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/pancreastransplantation.html
- Stem Cells - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/stemcells.html
- Transplantation and Donation - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/transplantationanddonation.html