The tissues that can be donated are: Cornea, Bone, Skin, Heart Valve, blood vessels, nerves and tendon etc.

Age limit for Organ Donation varies, depending upon whether it is living donation or cadaver donation; for example in living donation, person should be above 18 year of age, and for most of the organs deciding factor is the person physical condition and not the age. Specialist healthcare professionals decide which organs are suitable case to case. Organs and tissue from people in their 70s and 80s have been transplanted successfully all over the world. In the case of tissues and eyes, age usually does not matter. A deceased donor can generally donate the Organs & Tissues with the age limit of: Kidneys, liver: up-to 70 years Heart, lungs: up-to 50 years Pancreas, Intestine: up-to 60-65 years Corneas, skin: up-to 100 years Heart valves: up-to 50 years Bone: up-to 70 years

Deceased Donor: Anyone, regardless of age, race or gender can become an organ and tissue donor after his or her Death (Brainstem/Cardiac). Consent of near relative or a person in lawful possession of the dead body is required. If the deceased donor is under the age of 18 years, then the consent required from one of the parent or any near relative authorized by the parents is essential. Medical suitability for donation is determined at the time of death.

Yes, you can unpledged by making a call to the NOTTO office or write or visit NOTTO website www.notto.nic.in and avail of the un-pledge option by logging into your account. Also, let your family know that you have changed your mind regarding organ donation pledge.

No, none of our major religions object to donate organs and tissues, rather they all are promoting and supporting this noble cause. If you have any doubts, you may discuss with your spiritual or religious leader or advisor

Yes, Blood is taken from all potential donors and tested to rule out transmissible diseases and viruses such as HIV and hepatitis. The family of the potential donor is made aware that this procedure is required.

Yes, in most circumstances you can be a donor. Having a medical condition does not necessarily prevent a person from becoming an organ or tissue donor. The decision about whether some or all organs or tissue are suitable for transplant is made by a healthcare professional, taking into account your medical history.
In very rare cases, the organs of donors with HIV or hepatitis-C have been used to help others with the same conditions. This is only ever carried out when both parties have the condition. All donors have rigorous checks to guard against infection.

Organ and Tissue donation is defined as the act of giving life to others after death by donating his/her organs to the needy suffering from end stage organ failure.
Body donation is defined as the act of giving one body after death for medical research and education. Those donated cadavers remain a principal teaching tool for anatomists and medical educators teaching gross anatomy.

You can help by: – Becoming a donor, and talking to your family about your decision of saving lives of others. – Promoting donation by motivating people at work place, in your community, at your place of worship, and in your civic organizations.

In the area of Organ Transplantation, ‘cadaver’ refers to a brain-dead body with a beating heart, on life support system.

A person can donate multiple organ and tissues after brain-stem death. His/her organ continues to live in another person body.

Brain stem death is cessation of function of the brain stem due to irreversible damage. It is an irreversible condition and the person has died. It is also called Brain Death in India.
A brain stem dead person cannot breathe on his own; however the heart has an inbuilt mechanism for pumping as long as it has a supply of oxygen and blood. A ventilator continues to blow air into lungs of brain stem dead persons, their heart continues to receive oxygenated blood and medicine may be given to maintain their blood pressure. The heart will continue to beat for a period of time after brain stem death – this does not mean that the person is alive, or that there is any chance of recovery.

The declaration of brain stem death is made with accepted medical standards. The parameters emphasize the 3 clinical findings necessary to confirm irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain, including the brain stem: coma (loss of consciousness) with a known cause, absence of brainstem reflexes, and apnea (absence of spontaneous breathing). These tests are carried out twice at the interval of at-least 6-12 hours by the team of Medical Experts. Brain-stem Death is accepted under the Transplant Human Organ Act since 1994.

As per THOA Board of Medical Experts Consist of following will certify Brain-stem Death: 1. Doctor in charge of the hospital (medical superintendent) 2. Doctor nominated from a panel of Doctors appointed by the Appropriate Authority 3. Neurologist/neurosurgeon/intensives nominated from a panel appointed by the Appropriate Authority. 4. Doctor treating the patient. 5. The panel of four doctors carries out the tests together to certify brain death.

The family can approach the counselor of the hospital, the transplant coordinator or the doctors and nursing staff of the ICU.

Confirmatory tests for brain death have to be done twice within an interval of six hours between the tests. Once consent for organ donation has been obtained, coordinating the process of organ retrieval takes time.
Organ retrieval from deceased donors involves many hospitals, and transplant teams should ensure that the donated organs match as perfectly as possible with the recipient. If it is a medico-legal case, a post-mortem has to be performed and this involves both the police as well as the Forensic Medicine department.

Your vital organs will be transplanted into those individuals who need them most urgently. Gifts of life (Organs) are matched to recipients on the basis of medical suitability, urgency of transplant, duration on the waiting list and geographical location. NOTTO and its state units (ROTTO & SOTTO) will work round the clock, every day of the year and cover the whole of the country. Tissue is very occasionally matched, e.g. for size and tissue type, but otherwise is freely available to any patient in need of a transplant.

No. Even though if you carry a donor card, your immediate family members and close relatives will be asked for donation of organs and tissues. The consent is mandatory from the person lawfully in possession of the dead body, before donation can be carried out. If they refuse, then organ donation will not take place.

No. The removal of organs or tissues will not interfere with customary funeral or burial arrangements. The appearance of the body is not altered. A highly skilled surgical transplant team removes the organs and tissues which can be transplanted in other patients. Surgeons stitch he body carefully, hence no disfigurement occurs. The body can be viewed as in any case of death and funeral arrangements need not be delayed.

No. It can only be removed when a person is declared as brain stem dead in the hospital and is immediately put on a ventilator and other life support systems. After death at home, only eyes and some tissues can be removed.

Solid organ donation (heart, lungs, liver, pancreas, kidneys) requires blood circulation to be maintained in these organs until retrieval. This is possible in brain-stem death where the functioning of these organs can be supported for some time. However organ after cardiac death can also be harvested provided the time gap is minimal.