Understanding Organ Donation
Among the many diseases that affect vital organs such as the liver, kidneys, pancreas, heart, intestines, and cornea, transplantation of the affected organ(s) remains the only definitive treatment in the terminal stages. The best examples are irreversible chronic kidney disease and chronic liver disease, for which kidney or liver transplantation is the best available option in a medically fit patient. Since God has bestowed us with two kidneys and a liver that has remarkable regenerative capacity, living donation in our setting usually involves a relative donating one kidney or a part of the liver.However, organ donation from a living donor is limited to the kidney, liver, intestine, testes, skin, bone marrow/stem cells, and bone. In contrast, organs and tissues that can be retrieved from a deceased (cadaveric) donor include the heart, lungs, pancreas, stomach, uterus, ovaries, hands, corneas, blood vessels, and heart valves. Living donation is relatively uncommon in many Western countries, where individuals often consent during their lifetime to donate their organs in the event of brain death, irrespective of the cause. This is known as deceased or cadaveric donation. The concept of deceased organ donation has been steadily gaining momentum in India over the past few years, with remarkable progress in organ donation and transplantation. Around 18% of the nearly 20,000........
