Change donor law

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ste
Posts: 10
Joined: Mon Dec 16, 2013 12:55 pm

Change donor law

Post by ste »

Hello
This will proberbly make little difference,but please sign if you agree
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/change-donor-law
ste
DeanH
Posts: 67
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2015 5:01 pm

Re: Change donor law

Post by DeanH »

Signed and shared on Facebook
Thumps
Posts: 1302
Joined: Thu Sep 14, 2006 3:50 pm
Location: London, England

Re: Change donor law

Post by Thumps »

It's not a very clear petition. I'd need to see a lot of research and evidence around the quality and graft survival of donors who are non-heart beating when they arrive at hospital before I'd consider supporting such a thing. Isn't it a clinical decision rather than to do with the law?
PKD/PLD diagnosed 1994, CKD stage 5 Oct 2007, Living Donor Kidney Transplant Dec 2008, still going strong!
MandyV
Posts: 1717
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2006 10:17 am
Location: Fulham

Re: Change donor law

Post by MandyV »

I think this might be a lot of confusion - as I understand it there are two completely separate issues around organs - technically you need to die in controlled circumstances within hospital (and generally within a high care setting) to enable your organs to be retrieved in usable condition ... very different ways depending on whether you die a brain stem (heart beating) or cardiac (non heart beating death). With non heart beating donors (or DCD - donation post cardiac death) there is only a 'hands off' time of 5 mins before retrieval work needs to begin. This time (warm ischemic time) needs to be as short as possible because with every passing second cells die (logical as you are dead) - I don't see how someone could die outside of hospital and meet these requirements. Obviously skin and bone donation are different and retrieval is done elsewhere.

There is a very different issue about use of organs for research which is much more problematic in that the Human Tissue act requires that removal of organs for research can only be done in licenced premises (which is not the same as retrieval for transplant and most hospitals are not licensed for this)

Anyway - I echo what Thumps says as I am not sure what is intended here because it doesn't sound feasible as currently worded ...
wagolynn
Posts: 1362
Joined: Thu May 23, 2013 2:49 pm

Re: Change donor law

Post by wagolynn »

Most hospitals are now using a new test immediately prior to starting inserting the transplanted kidney. Basically they 'wake the kidney up' and see if it works. It is an amazingly obvious thing to do - after some one thought of it.
ste
Posts: 10
Joined: Mon Dec 16, 2013 12:55 pm

Re: Change donor law

Post by ste »

Hello Again
The petition I posted was because of this article by NKF Tim Statham 2010
http://www.kidney.org.uk/home/news-2/ne ... ns-wasted/
I dont know any research facts,just think its poor how many organs are wasted,which could be used as per wagolynn 'wake the kindey' up method?
I am no expert and everyone is obviously entitled to there own opinion,if you think Its a bad petition,dont sign it
Thanks for all replies so far,some agree and some dont agree.
I know people on the Donor list who are not aware of the law,they think because they are on the Donor list,there organs will automatically be used,which is not the case,it depends where thy die
In Wales they have a SOFT OPT OUT system,where you opt out of Organ donation,instead of optping in like in England,that is a different subject,but a step in the right direction,I think,though I pressume its not a view shared by everyone
Cheers
Ste
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