Running head: ORGAN DONATION 1

Organ Donation

Jacob Ewell

Brigham Young UniversityIdaho

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Organ Donation

Each year, thousands of Americans wait desperately for lifesaving organ donations.

However, few are able to receive a necessary organ donation. It is estimated that everyday

twenty-one Americans die because they were unable to receive a needed organ donation (Mayo

Clinic, 2017). It could be related to a lack of education regarding organ donation, religious

beliefs, or not knowing the dire need for organ donations. Throughout the process of organ

donation, several healthcare providers work closely to find the best options for patients and

family members of the dying patients. Nurses play a crucial role in preparing, teaching, and

planning for patient donations. They also work closely to provide comfort and care to the

patients family.

In order for an organ donation to occur, specific tests must be performed to determine if

the organ will be compatible for the donor. The recipient must receive an organ from a person

that has the same ABO blood group, however they dont need to have the same Rh factor.

(Lewis, Dirksen, Heitkemper, Bucher, Harding, 2017). Another important test that is performed

for organ donation is HLA typing or human leukocyte antigen typing. Each person has their own

genetic makeup and when organ transplants occur, it is important that the genetic makeup of the

organ be as similar to the recipients genetic makeup as possible. The typing tests for the A, B

and DR antigens. Each person has six antigens and matches of five to six alleles and in some

cases four indicate a good match for organ donation. The better the match, the less chance of

organ rejection (Lewis et al., 2017).

Further testing includes crossmatch. Cross matching tests for anti-HLA antibodies, a

negative crossmatch indicates that transplantation can occur safely. A positive test indicates

cytotoxic antibodies indicating that the organ will be rejected (Lewis et al., 2017).
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Cross matching is extremely important in limiting the chance of organ rejection.

However, certain organs require more specific organ matching than others. For example, corneal

transplants require minimal matching because this organ has a low blood supply. On the

contrary, kidneys and bone marrow transplants require excessive testing because they have the

highest rate of reject. Heart and lung transplants require compatibility, but because of low

donation rates, recipients are given hearts and lungs that are as close to a match as possible

(Lewis et al., 2017).

The organ donor website made by the government entitled organdonor.gov contains

criteria that must be met to be an organ donor. Individuals at any age can be an organ donor, but

they must be over the age of eighteen to sign up. Donors must be free of the HIV infection,

active cancer or a systemic infection. Donors are encouraged to share their desire to become an

organ donor with their family members. Family members often do not know that the patient

wanted to donate their organs until the time of death. This can cause conflict and confusion

among the family members of the deceased.

Nurses may play several roles in the organ donation process. Nurses have the

responsibility to care for their patients whether it be the donor or the recipient. If the donor is

near death, they are required to do all they can to treat that patient and keep them comfortable

until their death. Comfort and palliative care is especially important for these patients. Nurses

may be required to provide emotional support to the family of the donor. The donors family

may be in denial that their family member is dying. The family may also have been shocked to

discover that the patient is a registered organ donor. Nurses should educate family members

regarding what to expect after organs are removed and help family members say their final

goodbyes.
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Recipients of organ donations often spend months to years waiting for an organ to

become available to them. The patient needs to understand the risks associated with receiving an

organ donation and know that is not an absolute solution. Educate patients about blood typing

and tissue typing. This will help the patient understand reasons for organ rejection. Patients

should understand the possibility of hyper acute, acute and chronic rejection (Lewis et al., 2017).

One key point that will need to be explained to the patient is that they will have to take

immunosuppressive drugs the rest of their lives. This will decrease the risk of organ rejection,

but it may cause immunosuppression thus elevating their risk of infection (Lewis et al., 2017).

Planning outcomes and goals is especially important for the success of organ recipient

patients. If special care is not taken to ensure proper transplantation of organs, they could be used

and rejected in vain. Goals prior to surgery could include providing comfort and palliative care to

donor patients who will soon die. It may also include emotional support to the donors family.

For the recipient, it may include treatment for failing organs until the organ becomes available. It

may include coordinating a surgery location if the patients live a great distance apart. It is

important to correctly mark the organ that will be removed on the recipient to ensure that the

correct organ is replaced. Another important goal is to educate the recipient and donor of the

potential side effects from the surgery. Recipients of organ replacement need to understand that

they will be required to take immunosuppressant drugs the rest of their lives to reduce the risk of

organ rejection. Another critical goal is to identify a match between patient and donor that will

have the lowest risk of organ rejection (Lewis et al., 2017).

After the donated organ has been placed, it will be important to identify the needs of each

patient. The Donor if brain dead will be taken off life support and the family will need extra

support and direction to help prepare the patient for burial. If the donor is still alive, they like the
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recipient will need to be assessed for risk of infection, bleeding, blood clots and other

postoperative complications. The recipient will need to be monitored closely for signs of organ

rejection. The recipient patients must be monitored for complications related to

immunosuppression and reversed precautions must be taken to ensure that patients do not

become infected during immunosuppression. The goal of the organ donation is to promote an

elevated quality of life for the recipient. Recipients should be assessed to determine how the new

organ is functioning in their body and then determine if other therapies, medications or treatment

is needed. Surviving donors also need to be assessed to determine how their bodies are handling

the missing organ (Lewis et al., 2017). Goal and outcome assessment will help improve patient

treatment and success post-surgery.

Prior to writing this paper, I knew very little about organ donation. I have never

considered nor wanted to be an organ donor. I have never known someone who was an organ

donor or organ recipient. As I researched and wrote this paper, my eyes were opened to the

importance of organ donation. Everyday people die just because they need an organ replaced.

When I die, I will not need to use my organs and all they will do is rot inside of me. After writing

this paper I would like to consider becoming an organ donor. The organdonor.gov website has a

very easy step by step guide to sign up to become an organ donor. One thing I liked is that you

can choose which organs you want to donate. I believe that many people simply are not organ

donors because they dont understand the purpose of it. I think many believe that if they donate

their organs that their bodies will be mutilated or destroyed upon death. However, I believe that

with more education concerning this topic, people would be more willing to donate.
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Although Organ donation is not an absolute fix for everyone it can save the lives of

many. Organ donation is a noble gesture and I hope to use my new found knowledge to educate

those around me to become organ donors.

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References

Lewis, S., Dirksen, S. R., Heitkemper, M., Bucher, L., Harding, M. M., Jeff. (2017). Medical-

Surgical Nursing: Assessment and Management of Clinical Problems, Single Volume,

10th Edition. [Pageburstl]. Retrieved from

https://pageburstls.elsevier.com/#/books/9780323328524/

Mayo Clinic. (2017, February 16). Organ donation: Don't let these myths confuse you.

Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-

depth/organ-

donation/art-20047529

Who Can Donate? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://organdonor.gov/about/donors.html