About Cadaver Organ Donation
Organ donations are one of the most important lifelines across the United States and the world. With so many life-threatening diseases and possibilities that target the organs, having a fresh supply of donor organs is a struggle. Wait lists are long, the supply short. Although there are few organs available to give to each of those waiting for an organ transplant, there are life-saving organ transplant surgeries performed every day.
Process
Cadaver organ donation consists of removing viable organs from those who have passed away, then transplanting them into a living patient who needs it. Soon after a patient dies, if she is registered as an organ donor, her organs are immediately harvested. The harvested organs are then kept cold to delay the natural decaying process. Once an organ goes into the donor process, the wait list is addressed to see who is going to receive it. While the organ is in transit, the patient who is going to receive the organ is prepared for surgery. This ensures that once the organ arrives, the patient will be ready to accept the organ. The longer the organ is outside the body without a supply of fresh blood, the less chance the organ will be accepted once transplanted into the patient. Once the organ arrives, it is transplanted into the patient with hopes that it will not be rejected by the patient's immune system.
Lists
Cadaver organ donation consists of two main lists--the donor list and the waiting list. Both of these lists are organized by the United Network for Organ Sharing. The donor list consists of mostly patients who are not expected to survive much longer due to a chronic illness or brain damage. These donors have expressed a desire to donate the organs that have not been affected by their ailment. The waiting list is much longer than the donor list and consists of those waiting for heart, lung, kidney, pancreas, liver and kidney transplants. This list is organized by different criteria. These criteria can include, age, severity of disease, chance of survival, immediate need and lifestyle factors such as drug or alcohol use.
Supply
Unfortunately, the list of donor organs grows shorter as other factors are applied to donor organs that prevent them from being used. Terminal, Infectious diseases such as AIDS and other diseases such as cancer automatically prevent a donation. These diseases can hide in organs and possibly infect the new host with the terminal disease. Other factors that have caused a short donor list are myths that surround the organ donation process. Some people feel that if they are an organ donor, their doctors will not work as hard to save them if they become ill. Others believe they are too young or too old. To get all of the facts on organ donation myths, see the link in the Resources section below.
Issues
Certain issues revolve around cadaver organ donations. The largest of these issues is organ rejection. The human body is set up in such a way that whenever anything enters the body that is not supposed to, bodily agents attack the invading substance regardless of whether it is good or bad. This is especially true with receiving a new organ. Before organ donations, a patient's immune system is usually artificially weakened to ensure that the organ is accepted. However, the body is unpredictable and in many cases still manages to reject new organ transplants.
Dangers
With any industry that has more demand than supply, a lucrative black market can develop. This is no different for the organ transplant market. A black market is anywhere that goods or services are sold illegally. The dangers of a black market lie largely in how the organs are harvested. Black market organs can come from a variety of sources. There is no regulation for the black market, and as such organs could be infected with AIDS, malignant cancer cells or other potentially harmful diseases. Though it is becoming increasingly rare, organs may also come through criminal means such as forced harvesting or murder.
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