Frequently asked questions about tissue donation
If you are a tissue donor, you donate tissues such as skin, bone, or cornea after your death. Doctors use these tissues to help patients. Here you will find answers to frequently asked questions about tissue donation.
Which organs and tissues can I donate?
After your death, you can donate these organs: liver, heart, lungs, pancreas, kidneys, and small intestine. Donor organs help sick patients who would die without this organ.
You can donate these tissues after your death: eye tissue, heart valves, major blood vessels, skin, bone, cartilage, and tendon tissue. Tissues are used to improve patients' quality of life.
You decide for yourself which organs and tissues you do or do not want to donate. You can register this in the Donor Register.
Can anyone donate tissue?
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 in the areas of health and lifestyle. The exact rules vary per tissue.
Is age important in tissue donation?
Tissue donation is possible up to an advanced age. The age limit for donating tissues varies per tissue. More important than the donor's age is how healthy the tissue is. Based on this, doctors decide whether the tissue is suitable for transplantation.
How long does tissue donation take?
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 retrieval team is working elsewhere. It may then take a while before the procedure can begin.
Does my family have to pay anything if I donate tissues?
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 also have had to pay if the deceased had not donated tissues.
Can I donate my skin if I have tattoos?
That is possible, but processed skin is never used for donation.Therefore, a doctor will always leave the tattoo in place.
Does my family have to pay anything if I donate tissues?
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 also have had to pay if the deceased had not donated tissues.
Does my body look neat after donation for my family and loved ones?
Yes, the retrieval team will take care of that.Read more here about what can be seen from tissue donation.