Organ donation is a charitable act that helps us to save many lives after we pass away.The donated organs are transplanted into patients who are suffering with final stage organ failure.

  • After Brain Death: Vital organs such as the heart, liver, two kidneys, pancreas, intestine, and lungs are donated.
  • After Cardiac Death: Corneas, skin, and other tissues may be donated.

  • Deceased Donor Organ Donation: A person can donate multiple organ and tissues after (brain-stem/cardiac) death. His/her organs may be transplanted into multiple patients.
  • Live Donor Organ Donation: A living person may donate a limited number of organs, such as a single kidney or a portion of the liver, to his or her own or a close relative.

The age limit for organ donation varies based on whether it is a living or cadaver donation; for example, with a living donation, the donor must be at least 18 years old, and for most organs, the physical state of the person, not their age, is the determining factor. Specialist healthcare practitioners assess which organs are suitable based on case-to-case basis.
People in their 70s and 80s have had their organs and tissue transplanted successfully all over the world. When it comes to tissues and skin, age is normally irrelevant. Organs and Tissues can be donated by a deceased donor up to the age of:

  • Kidneys, liver: up to 70 years
  • Heart, lungs: up to 50 years
  • Pancreas, Intestine: up to 60-65 years
  • Corneas, skin: up-to 100 years
  • Heart valves: up to 50 years
  • Bone: up to 70 years

Indeed, it would be useful to the medical professionals as well as your family.

Identities of both Donor and Recipient are kept confidential.

Yes, Since brain death can only happen in the ICU, an organ donor must die in the hospital’s ICU. If a person dies at home, no vital organs can be recovered. However, eyes and skin can be recovered up to 6 hours after the heart stops beating.

A person is considered brain dead if their brain stem, which is an integral part of the central nervous system, is irreparably impaired. Since the brain stem is the nucleus for both, brain dead people cannot recover consciousness or breathe on their own. A ventilator and other forms of treatment can keep the heart beating for up to 72 hours. Since the blood supply to organs can be maintained for a few hours, the organs can be harvested during this period after receiving consent from close relatives. Only in the Intensive Care Unit can a person die of brain death.

Organs will only be removed for transplantation after two sets of independent examinations at 6 hour intervals by accredited specialists on the hospital’s brain death committee have reported brain death, and only after relatives have given their consent.

No. Since it is purely charitable, it is regarded as a noble act. Furthermore, after giving consent for organ donation after announcing brain death, the family is not charged with the prosecution.

Donation of an organ or tissue provides an unparalleled opportunity to give someone a second chance of life. Your donation is not only giving impact to the life of one person or family, but it is of overall help for the society as a whole.

No, it’s not true. Organs are provided to the most deserving and eligible patients based on priority factors such as age, blood group, waiting time, and health status of the recipients. The Maharashtra government has issued guidelines for assigning a priority score to all waiting recipients in order to allocate organs. The requirements for distribution are not based on money, race, or religion. The ZTCC (Zonal Transplant Coordination Centre) is a governing body for this process.

Every year, many patients die of end-stage organ disease due to a lack of appropriate organ donors from their own family. A single brain dead patient’s solid organs can provide the ‘Gift of Life’ to at least seven people who are in desperate need (two kidneys, lungs, liver, heart and pancreas). Such activities will effectively expand the donor pool and, in turn, help close the huge gap between needs and available resources.

Those with cancers other than those in the central nervous system, as well as those that are HIV positive, are typically excluded. Other exclusions are determined based on the specific evaluation of a potential donor, such as sepsis.

With the exception of a correctly sutured surgical wound, the deceased donor’s body is returned to the family in an appropriate way, with no external signs of disfigurement. This means that the burial or last rites are not disrupted.

Organ donation is endorsed by all religions as the highest manifestation of humanitarian values. There is a widespread belief among religious theorists and practitioners around the world that donating an organ to save another person’s life is compatible with the principles of universal religions and ethical guidelines.

Let the donor card be known to others. Higher the number of donors, higher the likelihood of societal understanding.

Each licensed hospital has a transplant coordinator who will provide you with all of the necessary details as well as a donor card. You may also contact the ICU doctors and express your wish to donate the organs of a family member. Please contact us if you have any questions about the ZTCC Pune’s deceased donor program.