An OPO is essential to help educate you and take you through the organ donation process. Follow this concise guide to learn more about the process.
About 13 organs can be donated from a human body.
That’s 13 different ways that being an organ donor through the OPO process can help somebody in need. If you’re still on the fence of becoming an organ donor, hearing a little bit more about the process might help you decide.Keep reading for an inside look at the OPO process:
OPO Donor Referral
The first step in the OPO process is the donor referral. This happens when someone in a hospital passes away. Law states that when an individual passes away an Organization Procurement Organization must be notified. When this happens the organ donation process begins. And the organization can begin to learn more about the person and whether or not they are open to donating.
Donor Evaluation
In the next step in the OPO process, the donor begins to be evaluated by the organization. A donor can potentially donate organs, eyes, or tissue. This depends on a number of factors. One of them is the location of the referral.Those who are eligible for organ donations can only come from a hospital. Those who are donating tissue can come from a hospital, funeral home, or being called in by a law enforcement authority. The OPO evaluating the donor will take these settings into account. They will also be considering the cause of death, demographics, and medical history of the donor. These are all factors in determining if someone is eligible or not.
Getting Consent and Authorization
After it is determined that someone is a potential donor, the process of getting consent starts. If someone is a registered organ donor this counts as the consent for a potential donor. People can become registered organ donors through their local DMV or after registering online. If someone is not registered or they are a minor, then a family member gets contacted for their consent.
Further Evaluation
After the consent of the donor is received the evaluation process continues. This time directly with the family of the donor. The family will be asked questions regarding the donor’s health and behaviors. These questions are vital in determining any problems that the person receiving the organs may come across. This information could also determine what kinds of donation the individual can carry out: eyes, organs, or tissue.
Medical tests
There will be extensive medical tests carried out on organs, such as biopsies to determine if cancer is present. Further testing will also determine any infections the organ may be carrying as well. This information is vital to know prior to a recipient receiving a donor organ.
Maintaining the organs
After the tests are carried out the main focus is maintaining the organs. The medical professional in charge of this process will be focusing on the blood and oxygen levels the organs are receiving.
Getting Matched
The organs, tissue, and eyes will then be matched to a recipient through an extensive process. Recipients are given a number according to their factors and background. This number is so that they have no identifiers linked to their waiting status on the list. Once a recipient is selected, the information about the organ is sent to that patient’s surgeon. It is up to that surgeon to accept or deny it based on the information provided.
Taking care of the Donor
After a recipient is selected the final step in the process is taking care of the donor. Depending on the donor, the tissue, eyes, or organs will be removed while ensuring that the body’s appearance is not altered. This way, the family can have an open casket funeral if they wish.
Contact Us
Throughout the organ donation process, testing and analyzing the organ is crucial. Medical professionals need to know the organ extensively before giving it to the recipient. To learn more about medical testing and technology to make this process easier contact us.
