What gets used from an organ donor’s body?

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Is it just the organs, or things like blood and hair too?

In: Biology

3 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

All organs have the potential to be used: heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, sections of bowel, skin, eyes, etc. Pieces of them as well. That doesn’t mean any or everything will be used. It’s a very stringent process.

Blood would never be used. There is a very strict process to use blood. Blood that is in a dead body isn’t much use, especially when there are living donors who can give blood.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Anything that’s viable to use and in good condition. Lets say you die of a heart attack, or heart failure, then obviously they won’t use your heart.

If you’re an organ donor, it also depends if you sign up as a tissue donor as well then they might use things such as skin.

Anonymous 0 Comments

The lenses from eyes can be transplanted to help someone see. It’s possible that a scalp transplant could give a head of hair to someone who was severely burned. Skin transplants are common, as are bones (though usually not whole ones) & tendons/ligaments. Heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, & blood vessels are common.

Not sure about stomach, intestines, muscles, bone marrow, or pancreas.

Hair could be cut off & donated to make a wig, but that’s not usually thought of as “organ & tissue donation”.