World Organ Donation Day 2020: What is Live Organ Donation? Rules You Should Know Before Donating Your Organ to a Patient!

There is a lot of waiting for an organ transplant because of which most of the times, family members have to donate their organ to save their kin. If you do find yourself in a situation where you have to give an organ to keep your closed one, there are specific rules you must follow. First, know that there are two types of donation: a live donation and cadaveric donation. In live donation is one where a patient’s close aid, chooses to donate their organ. In cadaveric donations, a person pledges their organs for donation after their death. Here are all the things you should know before you donate an organ.

Live Donation

• You can choose to donate an organ to a family member anytime, but in certain states like Maharashtra, you will require a NOC from the government. In most other states, this rule is not applicable. 
• You will need to undergo a complete health check-up along with a blood cross-matching test before you donate to see if the organ you are giving matches with the recipient.
• Once you obtain the NOC, you can donate your organ according to your surgeon’s directions. World Eye Donation Day 2020: Truths You Need to Know Before Donating Your Eyes for Corneal Transplantation.

Cadaver Donation

A cadaver donation is one where you pledge to donate your organ after death. In this system, your organs are harvested after you are declared brain dead. If you pledge your organs, here a few things to keep in mind:

• To be an organ donor, you have to first register with any NGO. They will help you get an organ donation card. The card will declare you as someone who would like to donate after death. Want to Be a Donor? 6 Things You Should Consider Before Donating an Organ.
• Keep your family and well-wishers informed about your donation. This is essential because, after your death, your family has the right to deny the doctor permission to harvest your organs.
• According to transplant and organ donation rules, the physician will have to return the body of the deceased to the family members after the organs have been harvested. This means that the expert will suture all cuts and wrap the body appropriately.
• Your organs will be tested for viability after you are declared brain dead. 
• Your organ will not be harvested if you suffer from any chronic condition such as kidney disease, liver failure or heart conditions. 
• Eyes, lungs, liver, kidneys skin and in some cases, intestines are the organs that you can offer to donate. Indian Organ Donation Day: 8 Things You Should Know About Donating Your Organs.

If your family member requires an organ transplant, the patient has to be put on a transplant registry to help the hospital to know when an organ is available for donation. Depending on the type of organ transplant, you will have to register with the Zonal Transplant Coordination Center (ZTCC). Your treating physician will guide you through the process of the registry. Please note that every organ available for transplantation will go through a cross-match test, and if the compatibility tests fail, the doctor has the right not to transplant that organ.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 13, 2020 09:10 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).