EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -Tissues such as cornea, heart valves, skin, and bone can be donated in case of natural death but vital organs such as heart, liver, kidneys, intestines, lungs, and pancreas can be donated only in the case of ‘brain death’.

Detailed explanation-2: -Therefore though the patients may be irreversibly injured, the fact that you can’t declare Brain Death makes organ donation impossible.

Detailed explanation-3: -The heart must be donated by someone who is brain-dead but is still on life support. The donor heart must be in normal condition without disease and must be matched as closely as possible to your blood and /or tissue type to reduce the chance that your body will reject it.

Detailed explanation-4: -Today, organ donation after circulatory death has increased the donation of life-saving organs; mostly kidneys, livers and pancreas. Thanks to advances in research and technology, we are now also able to transplant lungs and hearts using the DCD pathway to donation.