FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions)
Brain death is defined as the irreversible loss of all functions of the brain, including the brainstem. A patient determined to be brain dead is legally and clinically dead. The most common causes leading to brain death are severe head injury, hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage, brain infections or brain tumor.
Brain death can usually be diagnosed at the bedside by a qualified physician. Apnea test is the most important clinical test performed for this purpose. Every hospital has a special committee comprising of three physicians privileged to make brain death determinations.
Unlike coma patients, there is no possibility of recovery from brain death
Organ donation is the process of surgically removing an organ or a tissue from one person (the brain - dead / cadaveric donor) and transplanting it onto another person (the recipient). Transplantation is necessary because the recipient’s organ has failed or has been damaged by disease or injury.
There is no age limit for organ donation. Donors can range in ages from a few months old to 100 years old. The transplant team will evaluate and assess their suitability for donation process.
Question of organ donation arises only after brain death. Treating & transplant teams are always separate. You will be seen first by the people with a moral & legal commitment to save your life.
The decision about whether some or all of the organs are suitable for transplantation is always made by the medical team at the time of donation. This takes into account donor’s medical history as well as the result of various tests including blood tests, urine test and sonography or CT scan of the abdomen.
Donated organs need to be transplanted as soon as possible into the recipient’s body. As a general rule, heart and lungs must be transplanted within 4-6 hours, liver - 12 hours, pancreas - 18-24 hours and kidney - 24 hours after they have been taken out from the donor.
There is absolutely no trade of the donated organs. The organ allocation process is strictly regulated by the government. Organs are allocated to the patients according to their position on the respective organ waiting list.
There is no cost to the donor family for the donation process. Once a patient is declared brain dead & family has consented to donate organs then billing is stopped. There is no cost of the retrieval operation to the donor family.
The identity of both donor and the recipient are kept anonymous. There will not be exchange of any phone number or address between them.
Donation of organs, tissues & eyes does not disfigure the body or change the way a person looks. Organs are removed surgically, as in a routine operation and the incision is closed with sutures/staples. Most donations take place within 24 hours after death & therefore do not delay funeral arrangements
All major religions ( Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism ) support organ donation
A person's family must consent to donation at the time of their loved one's death. If they don’t, then donation does not happen, regardless of any previous documentation. If you have made the decision for organ donation, it is important that you share your decision with your family
Liver, kidneys, pancreas, lungs, heart, heart valves, eyes (cornea), bone and skin can be donated after brain-death. In certain cases, small intestine can also be used after donation.
A living person can donate one kidney, part of liver or part of pancreas to his closed relative. However, this donation needs to be approved by the government notified regional transplant authorization committee.
Smokers or alcoholics can donate their organs after brain-death. Their suitability for this purpose will be decided by the medical specialists.
The organ recipient waiting list is prepared and maintained by Zonal Transplant Coordination Center (ZTCC) Nagpur. This list is according to the recipient’s blood group and it may contain patients from all over the country. The process of allocation of cadaveric donor organs is done by the ZTCC and is strictly according to a patient’s place/ position on the waiting list.
