Ken V attended the NJ
Sharing Network’s Symposium on Organ and Tissue Donation to help support Organ
donation and Living Wills
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Renaissance Woodbridge Hotel
515 U.S. Highway 1 South
Iselin, NJ 08830
NJ
Sharing Network first ever Symposium on Organ & Tissue Donation!
The day focused on the critical
role persons play in saving and enhancing lives through organ and tissue
donation.
Attended by Volunteers • Donor
Families • Recipients • Community Advocates •
Faith-Based Leaders • Attorneys • First Responders • Social
Workers •
Nurses • Physicians • Hospital Administrators • Healthcare Providers •
Respiratory Therapists •
Medical Examiners • Funeral Directors • Educators •
What are the topics?
Clinical Aspects of Organ and Tissue Donation
NJSN Transplant Laboratory
Laws Governing Organ and Tissue Donation
Donate Life America Centralized Donor Registry
Public Speaking
Community Partnerships
Faith Based Outreach
Youth in Action
Your Philanthropic Dollars at Work
Ken Vercammen is an organ donor recipient after
knee surgery. We promote organ donation and Living Wills. I have participated
in 25 different charity running races, triathlons and bike tours in 2015. All
of these events help support non profits such as American Heart Association,
Sharing Network and other worthwhile charities. I would not have been able to
continue running without the organ donation plus the surgical skills of Dr.
Hosea and University Orthopedics.
Over 111,000 people need organ transplants
and there are hundreds of thousands who would benefit from tissue transplants.
Thousands of people die each year before a transplant can be located and many
more face long waiting times or less than ideal alternatives for lack of a tissue
transplant. Increasing the number of donors will help end needless suffering
and will save lives. You can help. MTF encourages you to learn the facts about
donation, to make a personal choice and to discuss it with your family.
Who donates bone and tissue allografts?
The
majority of donors were otherwise healthy and relatively young people who died
in accidents or from sudden illness such as heart attack or stroke. Every donor
is thoroughly screened and tested before donation can take place. This
screening includes comprehensive medical and social histories, including
high-risk behaviors for transmissible diseases that automatically eliminate any
possibility of donation. Potential donors with histories of any condition that
can affect the quality and long-term performance of the bone and/or tissue are
also excluded. MTF's Medical Directors and Technical Staff must approve all
donations prior to transplantation.
Is there a difference between tissue and
organ donation?
In general, organ donors must be brain dead, which is
defined as the irreversible cessation of all brain function. In these very
limited cases (approximately 20,000 per year), organ donation occurs when
mechanical support (i.e., ventilators) can continue the viability of the organs
for a short period of time after the death of the patient. Organs (heart,
liver, kidney, etc.) must be carefully matched to waiting recipients. Matching
is done according to factors such as blood type, medical status of the
recipient and size of the waiting recipient. Tissue donation may occur from
patients who are either brain dead or who have suffered cardiac death, the
cessation of the heart. Consequently, there are many more potential tissue
donors than organ donors. Tissue recipients do not have to be matched to their
donors as rejection is not generally a concern.
What
tissues can be donated?
Tissues which can be
donated include bone, tendons, ligaments, heart valves, skin, veins, cartilage,
pericardium and fascia lata (the thin covering of the muscles.)
How
are the tissues removed and what about funeral arrangements?
After
authorization for donation has been established, the donated tissues are
removed by skilled medical professionals in a surgical procedure that takes
place under aseptic conditions. The procedure is accomplished in a very timely
manner, and must occur within 24 hours of the time of death. During the
donation procedures, the utmost care and respect is taken with the donor’s
body. Donation should not interfere with funeral arrangements, including open
casket services.
Where
are these tissues used?
Long bones may be used to
replace those invaded by cancer. Without such a transplant, the limb may have
to be amputated. Smaller sections of bone are used to strengthen areas of a
deformed spine and to fill areas where bone has been lost due to conditions
that have damaged existing bone. Damaged tendons and ligaments may be
reconstructed as well, thus strengthening the joint and assisting the patient
in walking or running. Skin can be life-saving for critically burned patients.
It is also used for hernia repair, pelvic floor reconstruction, and for breast
reconstruction following mastectomy. Heart valves are used to replace damaged
heart valves. Saphenous and femoral veins from the legs are used in cardiac
bypass surgery for patients who have suffered cardiovascular (heart) disease.
Is
there a cost to donate tissue?
No.
As with all donated organs, there is no charge to the donor’s family.
Can organs and corneas be
taken along with the tissue?
Yes. At the same time
tissues are removed, organs can be taken if the donor meets the appropriate
medical criteria. Corneas, the clear covering of the eye, can also be donated to
restore sight to someone in need.
Can anyone be a tissue
donor?
Most healthy individuals are candidates for
donation. Anyone can choose donation. To learn more about organ, tissue and eye
donation in your state, visit www.donatelife.net.
How does MTF receive
donated tissue?
Recovery agencies have chosen to affiliate with
MTF in part because of our high ethical standards, the quality and safety of
tissue and strict donor criteria. In addition, MTF supports the promotion of
donor awareness and the provision of donor family services. Most organ, tissue
and eye banks that are members of MTF send tissue to MTF for processing and
distribution. This allows them to concentrate on their organizational mission
and responsibility to their community, which is donor recovery. Advances in
medicine and biotechnology have dramatically improved how bone and
musculoskeletal tissues can be used. In order to maximize benefits to
recipients, it is vital that these tissues be processed in aseptic Class 4
(certified) Clean Rooms, and according to exact surgical specifications. Small,
local tissue banks could not provide this level of quality in a cost effective
manner on their own, which is why they send tissue to a large tissue bank for
processing. It is also easier for a surgeon to obtain tissue from fewer
consistent sources.
If you’re a non-profit, what do you do with the money
made from the tissue?
MTF is a non-profit foundation. All revenues are used
to cover costs and to further the cause of tissue donation. There are no
shareholders and no dividends are paid. Like any business, MTF has significant
costs per donor, including reimbursement to the recovery agency for their
expenses, testing the tissue to ensure its safety, review of donor records,
processing the tissue and distributing the tissue to hospitals and recipients
throughout the U.S.
MTF
also conducts and sponsors a broad variety of research projects to insure that
we are able to make the best possible use of donated tissues. We also
contribute to donor awareness projects such as Donate Life America, donor
family services and to advancing scientific orthopaedic research in leading
medical centers.
Are there any objections to donation
based on religious belief?
Organ and tissue donation is an accepted
practice by all of the major religious denominations.
Understanding The Donation Process
At NJ Sharing Network, they recognize
that every organ and tissue donation involves the gift of a donor and his or
her family, as well as the efforts of our professional partners.
We work closely with hospitals, medical examiners and funeral homes to
realize our mutual goal of saving and enhancing lives through organ and tissue
donation.
This section is intended to provide healthcare professionals with
resource information to support them in their identification, referral and care
of potential organ and tissue donors.
Steps In The Donation Process
• Referral: Routine, timely referral of patients
meeting clinical triggers ensures that every opportunity for donation is
realized.
• Evaluation: Our highly trained donation
specialists conduct an evaluation of a patient’s medical history and current
status to determine the patient’s ability to give the gift of organ and tissue
donation.
• Approach: Our families are supported as they grieve
for their loved one who has died. NJ Sharing Network staff, in
partnership with hospital staff, will begin a caring, empathetic discussion
with families about the opportunity for donation. In circumstances where
the patient has declared their wish to donate through their license or advance
directive, NJ Sharing Network staff will gently guide the family through the
process to honor that gift.
• Management: Expertise and vigilant care is needed to
ensure that as many recipients as possible are given a second chance of life
through the decision to donate. Resources from multiple hospital
departments are utilized to honor the gift. Recipients are identified and
prepared for a life-saving transplant.
• Recovery: Every donation is a gift. Recovery of
organ and tissue is done in the hospital operating room, under sterile
conditions and with utmost respect for the selfless gift of life that is being
offered.
Source https://www.njsharingnetwork.org/share
More information
on Living Wills at http://www.njlaws.com/living_wills.html
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