MeritCare Transplant Services
There are two types of organ donors: living and deceased. A living donor is someone who gives a healthy organ to replace their loved one's diseased or damaged organ. A deceased donor is someone who has died however his or her organs were still healthy. The deceased person and/or their family make the choice to donate the organs for transplantation. When you donate an organ, whether it's living or deceased, you literally give the gift of life.
Who can be a Living Donor?
- Siblings
- Parents
- Children (over 18)
- Spouses
- Cousins
- Aunts and Uncles
- Close friends
- Anonymous/Good Samaritan
Benefits of Having a Living Donor
- Better Success Rates - Since living donor kidneys come from healthy people and are in better condition when transplanted, they have a tendency to function better over time.
- Shorter Waiting Time - For some transplant candidates, a living donation can be life saving. Typically, there is a 2-3 year wait for a deceased donor kidney. Each year, 1 out of 20 people dies waiting for a new kidney.
- More Time to Prepare - With a living donation, you can schedule surgery ahead of time for yourself and the donor. This can make it easier to prepare mentally and physically for surgery.
How much does it cost to donate an organ?
- In most cases, organ donation is covered completely by the recipient's insurance. However, this does not include compensation for travel, lodging, or time off from work. Learn more about the financial considerations.
How is the kidney removed?
The hand-assisted laparoscopic donor nephrectomy is a minimally invasive technique for removing a kidney from a living donor for transplantation. Laparoscopic surgery is performed by inflating the abdomen with gas, usually carbon dioxide, which creates a space between the wall of the abdomen and the organs inside. Three to five small incisions are made in the donor's abdomen to accommodate the insertion of a laparoscope (surgical telescope). This allows for minimal disruption to the donor's abdominal wall, resulting in less pain and scarring, a shorter hospital stay and a quicker recovery time for the donor. Using precision instruments that are inserted into the small openings, the surgeon prepares the donor's kidney for removal while simultaneously observing a magnified image on a TV monitor. When the kidney is ready for removal, the transplant surgeon gently removes the kidney through a small opening. The kidney is then prepared for transplantation into the recipient. The average hospital stay is two to three days and the patient may be able to return to work in two to four weeks. There is a remote chance of having to change to an open nephrectomy procedure if the surgeon feels the kidney could be compromised in any way.
Deceased Donors
The events leading up to donation are always unique, but the donation process follows a series of predetermined steps designed to establish and act upon what is best for the donor, his or her family and the transplant recipients. When an individual suffers an injury or trauma and is brought to the hospital, every effort is made to save that person's life. The medical professionals who work to save an individual are not the same professionals involved with organ and tissue donation. After extensive testing has been done and death is declared or imminent, the physician informs the family. The option of organ and tissue donation is most often offered after brain death is declared. In some situations involving severely injured or ill patients who are not brain dead, the option of organ and tissue donation may be offered after the family has decided to withdraw ventilated support.
The hospital contacts LifeSource (regional procurement agency) to discuss the case. A donation coordinator from LifeSource works in collaboration with the hospital to determine donation options and facilitate the donation process. The coordinator looks for the donor designation on a driver's license, will, health care directive, or state identification card. Documenting your wishes to donate in advance will ensure those wishes are fulfilled. The coordinator offers the family support and provides them information about donation to help them make a decision. If their loved one indicated wishes to donate, the coordinator will support the family in honoring those wishes. Donor families are an integral part of the donation process. The coordinator works with the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) to find the appropriate match between the donor and a recipient. This system is designed to fairly distribute organs based on length of time waiting, medical urgency, genetic matching, and geography. Factors such as race, gender, age, income or celebrity status are not considered when determining who receives organs and tissues. Organs and tissues that can be donated include heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas, intestines, tendons, bones, heart valves, skin and corneas.
If you are interested in becoming a donor or would like more information, please contact the MeritCare Transplant Office at: (701) 234-6715 or toll free at (800) 437-4010 ext. 6715.