Organ Donation
The process of giving an organ or a part of an organ to someone in need of a transplant.
What is organ donation?
Registering your decision online or in person at your local DMV.
What is the first step in becoming an organ donor?
Approximately 130,000 people.
How many people are currently waiting for organ transplants in the United States?
The kidney.
What is the most commonly transplanted organ in the United States?
Medical professionals, including transplant surgeons and organ procurement organizations.
Who evaluates the suitability of organs for transplantation?
Up to eight lives.
How many lives can a single organ donor save or improve?
A type of organ donation where a living person donates an organ, usually a kidney or a part of the liver.
What is living donation?
The process of matching donor organs with recipients based on factors such as blood type, tissue type, and medical urgency.
What is the matching process?
Approximately 60%.
What percentage of adults in the United States are registered organ donors?
A type of organ donation that occurs after the donor's death.
What is deceased donation?
The process of surgically removing organs from the donor's body for transplantation.
What is the recovery process?
There is no age limit for organ donation - anyone can register to become a donor regardless of age.
What is the age range for organ donors?
The irreversible cessation of all brain function, which is a requirement for deceased organ donation.
What is brain death?
The team of medical professionals responsible for performing the transplant surgery and providing post-operative care to the recipient.
What is the role of the transplant team?
The recipient's immune system recognizing the transplanted organ as foreign and attacking it.
What is the most common reason for organ transplant rejection?