Organ Donation
Organ and tissue donation - Frequently asked questions
This page provides general information on organ and tissue donation and the answers to a number of frequently asked questions.
Over the last ten years, organ donation rates in Australia have fluctuated around 200 donors per year. Australia is internationally recognised for a strong record of successful organ transplantations, but also has one of the world’s lowest rates of organ donations with the consequence that substantial numbers of people die while waiting for suitable donated organs to become available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I consider donating organs and tissue?For people with serious or life-threatening illnesses, organ or tissue transplantation may mean a second chance at life. More than 30,000 Australians have received transplants in the last 60 years. Improved survival rates now mean that most recipients of organs or tissue can look forward to a better quality of life.
Who can donate organs and tissue?
Anyone can choose to donate organs and tissue – there is no age limit on the donation of some organs and tissue. While your age and medical history will be considered, you shouldn’t assume you are too old or not healthy enough.
What organs and/or tissue can be donated?
Donation can involve:
- Organs – which includes kidneys, heart, lungs, liver and pancreas
- Tissues – which includes heart valves, bone tissue, skin tissue, corneas, bone marrow.
Most organ and tissue donation occurs after death.
Kidneys; livers; stem cells sourced through bone marrow, cord blood and peripheral blood stem cells; skin donation; some bone tissue can be donated while you are living.
In most cases, organ and tissue donation occurs after brain death. Brain death occurs when the brain stops functioning with no possibility of recovery.
Organ donation is only considered after several tests are carried out by two appropriately qualified senior doctors to establish whether brain death has occurred.
The way in which a person dies will generally determine what they are able to donate. In most cases, organs (heart, lungs, liver, pancreas and kidneys) can only be donated if a person has died in an intensive care unit under special circumstances. Less than 1% of all people who die in hospital each year die this way.
In some cases organ donation may be possible after a person’s heart has stopped beating, but this is rare.
People are sometimes concerned or confused about the difference between brain death and coma. Brain death and coma are very different.
A patient in a coma is unconscious because their brain is injured in some way, although their brain continues to function and may heal. Medical tests on a patient can clearly show the difference between brain death and coma.
A greater number of people have the opportunity to donate tissue for transplantation, such as eye tissue, heart valves, bone tissue and skin tissue. This is because tissue donation does not require the same special circumstances as organs usually do for transplantation to be successful.
How are organs and tissue removed?
The removal of organs and tissue is no different to any other surgical operation and is performed by highly skilled health professionals. The donor’s body is always treated with dignity and respect. The donation of organs and tissue does not alter the physical appearance of the body.
What screening processes occur before organs are donated?
Before organ donation proceeds, potential organ donors are rigorously screened on a case by case basis by transplant clinicians to ensure that risks of infection, disease, complications or donated organs being in a sub-optimal state are minimised or eliminated.
Where consent to organ donation is established, the donation process commences with the completion by a potential donor’s family of a comprehensive donor referral questionnaire, which covers the potential donor’s medical and other history, and assists nursing and medical staff collate information required to refer the patient on for organ donation.
Following the completion of the donor referral questionnaire by a potential donor’s family, and consequent identification and minimisation or elimination of risk factors, a range of detailed clinical screening processes follow, consistent with State or Territory clinical guidelines, including physical examination, tissue and blood typing, virology, haematology and other testing. State and Territory clinical guidelines vary somewhat, with some applying absolute exclusions for donation in relation to certain illnesses and conditions, but nevertheless, all provide a detailed, safe and rigorous organ donation screening process consistent with relevant State and Territory legislation.
Top of page
What quality and safety procedures apply to organ donation?
The comprehensive and rigorous processes that address organ donation quality and safety in Australia are guided and developed in the context of contemporary developments in disease management and advances in clinical practice by Australian Government organisations including the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Therapeutic Goods Administration, as well as State and Territory Governments, and peak bodies such as the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society, and the Transplantation Society of Australia and New Zealand.
If I become an organ donor, will my organs and/or tissue be used for research purposes?
Separate and specific permission is required for donated organs and tissue to be used for research purposes. Donated tissue and organs will not be used for medical research unless explicit written permission is granted by the family or next of kin.
State and Territory legislation permits choices and individual decisions about donation of organs and tissue for medical and scientific purposes. However, local hospitals, research institutions and cross boarder protocols may impact on the outcome of organ and tissue donation.
Why should I discuss donation with my family?
Should the situation arise where donation is a possibility, your family may be asked about your decision to be an organ and/or tissue donor. Anecdotal evidence has shown that families are more likely to say yes to donation if they are aware of their loved ones’ wishes to donate. The more family members who know of your decision to donate (or not donate) organs or tissue for transplantation, the more likely it is that your wishes will be upheld.
Top of page
