The Organ Donation Process: Breaking it Down Step by Step

There is a lot of confusion about the organ donation process. And it's understandable! Most people don’t know how the process works, which can lead to fear and misinformation.

A lot of medical dramas (This isn’t about you, The Pitt, you did it right!) will lead you to think the whole process is handled by hospital staff. While hospitals play an essential role in donation, the process is managed by their assigned organ procurement organization (OPO). That’s us, LifeShare Carolinas. Hopefully, this blog will leave you with a better understanding of what really happens.

Referral

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requires hospitals to participate in the organ donation process. This responsibility starts with a referral. Hospital staff must notify LifeShare Carolinas when a patient meets specific medical criteria. From there, LifeShare staff evaluate the patient to see if they could be a potential donor. 

If the patient’s condition doesn’t improve, LifeShare continues to monitor but doesn’t get involved until end-of-life discussions are taking place.

Consent

One way someone consents to organ, eye, and tissue donation is by signing up when they get their driver’s license. (For the record, you’re also able to register online without going to the DMV.) That decision to donate is protected by state law. 

LifeShare checks to see if someone is registered by searching a secure database that only we can access.  Hospitals and EMS agencies do not have access to this registry database.  

If someone is not registered as a donor, their loved ones must make that decision on their behalf. 

In both situations, we have a specialized team that supports the patient’s family through their grief and walks them through each step of the donation process. 

Medical History

Next, our family support and organ recovery teams walk families through an in-depth questionnaire about the donor’s medical and social history. This helps us know more about the donor and their organs to ensure safety for transplantation. 

Donor Management

Throughout the process, our organ recovery coordinators monitor and care for the donor in collaboration with the hospital care team. This keeps the organs functioning and able to be transplanted. 

Matching

Next, we begin allocation. This is when we match the organs to transplant recipients based on several factors, such as blood type, organ size, and medical history. The donor’s medical information is put into a national computer program, which creates a list of patients who may be a good match for the donated organs. That list helps us place the organs with recipients who are most in need and the best fit medically. 

Recovery

Finally, organ recovery begins. This refers to the removal of the organs from the donor’s body. You might have heard this referred to as “harvesting.” The industry uses the term “recovery” because it better reflects our lifesaving mission. 

The recovery starts with our team, the hospital staff, and surgeons observing a moment of honor to recognize the donor and their gift of life. Surgeons perform the recovery at the hospital, or in some cases, at LifeShare’s Donor Care Center. During recovery, our organ preservation team assists the surgeon and ensures the organs are packaged safely.

Transplant

This is when the process moves away from LifeShare and back to a hospital. Organs are taken to the transplant center by air or ground. They may be sent to a recipient in another part of the country or someone in our area. 

Unlike what you may see on TV, the doctor working in the ER isn’t running down the hall to perform a transplant. Only a specialized transplant surgeon performs this operation. 

After the surgery, transplant recipients have a second chance to live a full life, thanks to the kindness and generosity of their organ donor. 

We hope this clears up some of the confusion and maybe answers questions you didn’t know you had. If you want more information or have more questions, visit www.LifeShareCarolinas.org/FAQ. 

The lifesaving work we do would not be possible without our organ, eye, and tissue donors and their families.
It is our honor to support our families in their grief journey through our Bridge to Healing program.