Types of donors

• Organ donation is the process of a person donating their organs for transplant. These are given to someone with damaged organs that need to be replaced.

• An organ transplant may save a person's life, or significantly improve their health and quality of life.

•First, it is important to specify that organs and/or tissues that are transplanted within the same person's body are called autografts. •Transplants that are recently performed between two subjects of the same species are called allografts. Allografts can either be from a living or cadaveric source.

Brain stem dead donor

•Most organ donations are from brain stem dead donors. This means the donor has been confirmed brain stem dead following a severe brain injury. The circulation is supported by artificial ventilation until the donated organs have been removed.

•Heart beating donations have a high success rate because the organs are supported by oxygenated blood until they are removed.

Cardiac Dead Donor

•Organs and tissue can also be donated after cardiac death. In the UK, almost all donors of this type are people who have died in intensive care from severe brain injuries, but who are not quite brain stem dead.

•In these cases, the organs must be removed within a few minutes of the heart stopping to prevent them being damaged by a lack of oxygenated blood.

Living donor

•A live organ donation usually involves one family member donating an organ to another family member. The relative is usually blood-related, most commonly a parent, although it could be a partner.

Other cases

Good Samaritan Good Samaritan or "altruistic" donation is giving a donation

to someone not well-known to the donor. Web sites are being developed to facilitate such donation.

Compensated donation In compensated donation, donors get money or other

compensation in exchange for their organs. This practice is common in some parts of the world.

Forced donation In certain countries the authorities are taking organs from

those considered undesirable, such as prison populations. However, The World Medical Association stated that individuals in detention are not in the position to give free consent to donate their organs. 

Exceptions

•All people can be considered as being potential organ, tissue and eye donors after death has been declared. However, the presence of active cancer, active HIV, active infection or Intravenous (IV) drug use would absolutely rule out donation. Patients who have Hepatitis C may still donate organs to a patient who also has Hepatitis C. The same is true for Hepatitis B — but this happens less frequently. Most cancer patients may donate corneas.•Sometimes there is no donor at all, that is to say that an artificial organ can be used.

HOW TO BE A DONOR IN ARGENTINA

-Inform your family members, friends and doctors that you want to be a donor.

-Complete a card specifying your will to become a donor and keep it in your wallet, car, etc and give copies to your family, doctor or lawyer.

- Assign to a relative the power of medical decisions in your name.

-There are no age limits to be a donor (if you are under age 18, your parents or guardian must give you permission to become a volunteer donor )

-The Incucai registers your personal volition about organ donation

after death, whether you agree or disagree. In case you want to become a donor you have to sign an explicit manifestation of will for organs and tissue donation.

Also you can be registered as a donor at the time you make your new ID

QUESTIONS

• 1 ) How many kinds of donors can you mention ?

• 2 ) What do you think about becoming a donor? Would you be one?