1. Donate Life: An Overview of Organ, Tissue and Eye Donation
University of Wisconsin
Organ Procurement Organization

2. Why is donation so important?

3. The numbers speak for themselves:
More than 112,000 people in the United States are waiting for a transplant
More than 2,500 on the list are children
Every 11 minutes – another name is added to the waiting list
19 people die every day because they didn’t get the organ they needed in time 3

4. U.S. Transplant Waiting List
Type of Transplant # of Patients Waiting
Kidney ,023
Liver ,181
Heart ,141
Kidney-pancreas ,121
Lung ,755
Pancreas ,353
Intestines
Heart-lung
Total people waiting ,414
Source: Organ Procurement and Transplant Network
Updated 10/13/11

5. Wisconsin Transplant Waiting List
Type of Transplant # of Patients Waiting
Kidney ,495
Liver
Heart
Lung
Kidney-pancreas
Pancreas
Intestine
Heart-lung
Total people waiting ,859
Source: Organ Procurement and Transplant Network
Updated 10/13/2011

6. Challenges Across the Nation
We need to close this gap!
,026 12,262 5,907
Patients Waiting Transplants Performed Organ Donors
,375 28,662 14,508
Increase +94,349 (589%) +16,400 (134%) +8,601 (146%)
22 Year Span
OPTN data: 8/25/2011
YesIWillWisconsin.com

7. Why are we learning this in driver’s education class?

8. Kelly Nachreiner Law (Wisconsin Act 124)
Signed by Governor Tommy Thompson on May 9, 2000
Requires all driver’s education programs in Wisconsin to give at least thirty minutes of instruction on organ and tissue donation
The law was the first of its kind in the U.S There are now more than 12 other similar educational mandates
Kelly Nachreiner, Sauk City, WI Organ donor on January 4, 2000

9. What organs can be donated?

10. Kidneys
We have two kidneys that can be given to two different recipients for conditions such as:
End stage renal disease
Diabetes with renal disease
High blood pressure
Polycystic kidney disease

11. Heart For conditions such as: Cardiomyopathy Coronary artery disease
Congenital heart disease
Valvular heart diseases

12. Lungs For conditions such as: Emphysema/COPD Cystic fibrosis
Pulmonary fibrosis
Primary pulmonary hypertension
Congenital defects

13. Liver For conditions such as: Hepatitis A,B,C Cirrhosis Alcohol
Medications
Biliary disease
Metabolic
Neoplasms

14. Isolated pancreas For conditions such as:
Diabetes Type I without renal disease
Hypoglycemic unawareness
Pancreas after kidney transplant

15. Simultaneous kidney-pancreas
For conditions such as:
Diabetes Type I with end-stage renal disease

16. Small intestine For conditions such as: Short gut syndrome
Severe vascular disease
Small intestine is frequently transplanted in children

17. What tissues can be donated?

18. Eyes (corneas)
Skin
Bone
Connective tissue
Ligaments
Tendons
Heart for valves/pericardium
Arteries and veins

19. Eye Donation
Cornea transplants become necessary when the cornea becomes cloudy or damaged due to disease, injury or hereditary conditions
Other eye tissue can be used for transplant, research and/or education
Almost anyone can be an eye donor, even patients with poor eyesight, those who wear glasses or contacts and patients with diseases like diabetes and cancer
More than 45,000 cornea transplant surgeries are performed each year in the U.S.

20. The difference between organ donation and tissue/eye donation
Occurs in the first 24 hours after the heart has stopped beating
The tissues can be preserved and used at a later date
This is a life-enhancing procedure
Organ Donation
The patient must be in a hospital on a ventilator
The organs must be properly preserved and transplanted quickly
This is a life-saving procedure

21. Through organ, eye and tissue donation...
1 person can:
Save 8 lives (organ donation)
Improve >50 lives (tissue and eye donation)

22. Common Questions about Donation

23. Who can be a donor? Anyone can sign up/register
People should base their decision on how they feel about donation. Pre-existing medical conditions won’t necessarily exclude anyone from being a donor
People of all ages should make their decision and let the medical professionals determine if they’re eligible at the time of their death

24. Will the doctors do everything they can to try and save me if they know my wishes to be a donor?
Yes.
The organ procurement professionals are a separate team of people from the medical team that is treating the patient. This ensures that there is no conflict of interest
Donation is only considered after all efforts to save a patient’s life have been exhausted by the medical team
Organ recovery only occurs after death has been declared

25. How does religion relate to organ donation?
The majority of religions support organ donation
Most religions view organ and tissue donation as a charitable act
People should talk to their religious leader about donation if they need clarification

26. Will donation disfigure the body?
No.
Organs are removed through a surgical procedure, in an operating room
Areas where tissue donation occurs are reconstructed and can be concealed by clothing
Open casket funerals can occur following donation 26

27. Does donation cost a family money?
No.
Each recovering agency pays for all expenses associated with the donation process
Those costs are passed on to the recipients and their insurance companies
The donor’s family is responsible for the funeral expenses 27

28. Will donation cause any delays with funeral arrangements?
No.
The recovering agency will make certain the donor’s body is released to the funeral home on time
No extra planning is required by families of organ and tissue donors 28

29. Can you pay to get an organ?
Organ allocation is strictly regulated by the federal government. Donated organs are matched to the recipients according to these criteria:
Blood type
Medical urgency
Tissue match
Waiting time
Organ size
Immune status
Geographic distance

30. Will the organs be transplanted locally?
Yes, if:
There are local recipients who match the organ
There are no status one* patients in our region. (This rule applies to livers only.)
There are no wait list patients in the U.S. who are a perfect tissue type match. (This rule applies to kidneys only.)
* A status one liver transplant candidate is the most medically urgent patient on the list
and is likely to die within one week without a transplant.
Approximately percent of all organs donated in the our state are used for transplants here in Wisconsin

31. Can the donor family and recipients meet each other?
Yes.
Initial contact is coordinated by the OPO, due to federal privacy regulations
All recipients are encouraged to write to their donor families
Meetings can be arranged if both parties sign a consent/ release of information form

32. Who will decide if I become a donor?
Your legal next of kin.
If a person’s donation decision isn’t documented (such as being on the Donor Registry), the legal next of kin hierarchy is the order in which consent for donation is pursued:
Healthcare Agent
Spouse
Adult Children
Parents
Adult Siblings
Adult Grandchildren
Grandparents
An adult who exhibited special care & concern
Legal Guardian
Coroner or Medical Examiner 32

33. What is the Wisconsin Donor Registry?
Launched on March 29, 2010, the registry allows anyone with a Wisconsin Driver’s License or State ID card to legally register to become a donor online at any time at: YesIWillWisconsin.com
Registering to be a donor now is legally binding and cannot be overruled at the time of your death by a family member or legal next of kin if you are over the age of 18.

34. What if I already have an orange DONOR dot?
Even if someone already has an orange DONOR dot on their license – if their last license was issued or renewed before March 29, 2010 – they still need to visit the registry website once in order to be entered into the new Wisconsin Donor Registry
Each time you sign up for a new license/ID card or renew your existing license/ID card – you need to continue to answer YES to the donation question on the application form in order to remain on the Wisconsin Donor Registry
If you decide later that you want to remove yourself from the registry – you can do so online at the same website.

35. You Can Make a Difference
On October 13, 2011, the Wisconsin Donor Registry reached 1 million registered donors, but:
Here in Wisconsin, more than 77 percent of all licensed drivers and/or state ID card holders still aren’t listed on the Wisconsin Donor Registry
Nationally, the U.S. had registered 100 million donors by this same date.
The national goal is to register 20 million more donors before the end of 2012

36. Why is it so important to register?
Less than five percent of people die in a hospital on a ventilator. We need everyone who wishes to donate to register, so more people will receive a transplant.

37. What should I do now? The Two D’s:
Decide
Take action and sign up to be a donor at any time by going to: YesIWillWisconsin.com and clicking on the orange DONATE button. You can also sign-up to be a donor at the DMV office where you get your license.
2. Discuss
Talk to your family about your decision to be a donor – until you turn 18 – your family can overrule your donation decision.

38. lives are changed forever
Through donation
lives are changed forever

39. Take Action! Register online at YesIWillWisconsin.com and
Talk your family about your decision