How does tissue donation work?
Patients can be helped with tissues donated by someone after death. Think of a skin graft after burns. Or a new cornea, allowing someone to see clearly again. But how exactly does tissue donation work?
Tissue donation in 4 steps
Do you want to know how tissue donation works? Read the step-by-step plan below.
Step 1. Discussing the choice with family and conducting research
Everyone in the Netherlands aged 18 and over is in the Donor Register. The doctor discusses with the family what choice the deceased has registered. The doctor also explains what tissue donation entails.
Before tissue donation can begin, a lot of information is needed to assess whether the deceased can donate tissues. The doctor looks up medical information about the health of the deceased and sometimes asks the next of kin a few questions.
Afterwards, they call the NTS (Dutch Transplant Foundation) to register the donor.
If someone is also an organ donor, then tissue donation takes place after the organ donation.
Step 2. The donor surgery
A special team removes the tissues and draws blood for testing. The deceased must be cooled within six hours of death. Tissue donation always takes place in a funeral home or hospital. Removal of eye tissue, skin, and heart valves usually takes place in the mortuary of a funeral home or in a hospital. For bone, cartilage, and tendon tissue, the removal always takes place in an operating room. The removal can start up to 24 hours after death.
Removing tissues is done carefully and therefore takes time. As a result, it can take up to 30 hours after death before the body of the deceased is available to the next of kin. Sometimes, in the case of an unnatural or unexpected death, an investigation into the cause is necessary. This is called an autopsy. Tissue donation always takes place before the autopsy. The doctor will inform you about this.
The retrieval team ensures that the donor looks presentable after the surgery. After the tissue retrieval, the deceased is taken to the location chosen by the next of kin. For example, to their home or a funeral home. Laying out the deceased is always possible.
Step 3. Tissue is processed and stored
The donated tissues go to a tissue bank. This is an organization that examines the tissues and assesses their quality. After approval, the tissues are processed and stored here. The storage period for donated tissue varies from four weeks to five years.
Step 4. A patient receives donor tissue
As soon as a patient needs tissue, the doctor submits a request to the tissue bank for their patient. Sometimes there is more tissue in stock than is needed for Dutch patients. In that case, the tissue bank looks for a recipient abroad. This prevents the tissue banks from having to discard tissue. The Netherlands also receives tissue from foreign tissue banks to be able to help people in the Netherlands.
If you want to know the results of the donation, you can tell the doctor. You will then receive a letter from the NTS after about one week stating which tissues were donated, along with a brochure containing information about the use of donated tissue. You will not be told who received the tissues. That remains anonymous. This is laid down by law.
Frequently asked questions about tissue donation
How long does tissue donation take?
The retrieval of the tissues is done carefully and therefore takes time. As a result, it can take up to 30 hours after death before the body of the deceased is available to the next of kin. Sometimes the donation also takes longer because a room for the retrieval is not immediately available or because the retrieval team is working elsewhere. It may then take a while before the procedure can begin.
Is all donated tissue suitable?
No, not all tissues can be used for a transplant. Sometimes it turns out after retrieval that the tissue is not suitable for transplantation. It can then be used for research. However, this is only allowed if the deceased gave permission for this in the Donor Register or if the next of kin give permission. If there is no permission, the unsuitable tissue is destroyed. The retrieval team never retrieves tissue solely for research purposes.
Does the donor look presentable after the surgery?
The retrieval team always ensures that the donor looks presentable after the tissue retrieval. Tissue donation can have consequences for the care of the deceased. It is also possible that plasters may be visible depending on the choice of clothing. You can read more about this on this page.
Does my family have to pay anything if I donate tissues?
Next of kin do not pay any extra costs for tissue donation. The family may receive a bill for normal costs surrounding the death of a loved one who is a donor. This concerns the amount that the family would have had to pay even if the deceased had not donated tissues.