Frequently asked questions about tissue donation

Tissue donation is possible more often than organ donation. This is because for tissue donation, it does not matter whether someone dies at home or in the hospital. There are requirements that a donor must meet, for example regarding health and lifestyle. The exact rules differ per tissue.

Tissue donation is possible up to an advanced age. The age up to which you can donate tissues varies per tissue. More important than the age of the donor is how healthy the tissue is. Based on that, doctors decide whether the tissue is suitable for a transplant.

The removal of 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 surviving relatives. Sometimes the donation also takes longer because a room for the removal is not immediately available or because the removal team is working elsewhere. It may then take a while before the procedure can begin.

Surviving relatives 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.