Organ donation
People with a poorly functioning or non-functioning organ can sometimes be helped with a donor organ. But what is organ donation and how does it work? You can read about it on this page.
What is organ donation?
In organ donation, someone gives an organ to a person whose organ does not work (properly). Thanks to a donor organ, that person can stay alive. Someone who gives away an organ is called an organ donor. In organ donation, the donor has always passed away, unless someone donates a kidney or part of the liver during their lifetime.
You can donate these organs after your death:
- Heart
- Lungs
- Liver
- Kidneys
- Pancreas
- Small intestine
How does organ donation work?
Organ donation is carried out with great care for the donor and their loved ones. First, multiple doctors determine whether someone has passed away. In doing so, the doctors follow a fixed protocol that applies in all hospitals. Subsequently, a special team of specialists comes to the hospital to harvest the organs.
Living donation
There are two organs you can donate during your lifetime. The well-known form of living donation is kidney donation. You have two kidneys, but only need one to live a healthy life. Therefore, you can donate a kidney to help someone with sick, non-functioning kidneys.
You can also donate part of your liver to help someone who is seriously ill. When part of the liver is removed, it can grow back to a normally functioning liver within a few weeks.
Frequently asked questions
Which organs can you donate?
After your death, you can donate these organs: heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas, and small intestine. In the Donor Register, you can indicate yourself which organs you do or do not want to donate. During your lifetime, you can donate one of your two kidneys and part of your liver to help someone else.
Can anyone be an organ donor?
Not everyone can donate organs after death. Upon someone's death, a doctor checks whether the organs are suitable for donation. This depends, for example, on the age and health of the person who wants to donate. Also, an organ donor must always die in the hospital while on a ventilator. Whether someone can donate can only be determined after death.
Are you really dead when you are a donor?
Yes. Organs and tissues are only removed when doctors are 100% certain that someone has died. The determination of death is made according to strict rules and by multiple doctors. Read more here about how organ donation works or watch a video in which we explain how brain death works.