X-Message-Number: 27969
Date: Sun, 21 May 2006 19:22:31 -0700 (PDT)
From: Doug Skrecky <>
Subject: pause for thought

[The following is the B.C. Transplant Society's criteria for
donation. Note that organs are rarely in a good enough shape to be
donated.]

Fewer than one percent of deaths can result in potential organ
donation. Most deaths allow you to be a donor for tissue such as
skin, cornea, and bone, but more exact criteria must be met before
solid organs such as heart and kidneys can be donated.
In order to become an organ donor, a patient must meet strict
criteria and be declared brain dead. Brain death can occur as the
result of a severe head injury or a brain hemorrhage. All attempts
are made to save the patient's life. If brain death occurs, it is
not reversible. Tests to determine brain death are conducted by
two doctors who are not connected with the organ donation or
transplantation process. The potential donor's organs are
artificially maintained on a ventilator until the organs can be
transplanted.

Number of solid organ transplants performed in BC in 2005:
191 Total
115 kidney (74 Living Donor, 41 Deceased Donor)
 34 liver (3 Living Donor, 31 Deceased Donor)
 16 heart
  3 pancreas-kidney
  2 pancreas
 11 pancreas-islet
  7 single-lung
  3 double-lung

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