What is tissue donation?
Tissue transplantation improves the quality of life for hundreds of people every year. Tissue transplantation requires donor tissue. What exactly is tissue donation? And what is tissue used for? On this page, you will find the answers to those questions.
What is tissue donation?
In tissue donation, a deceased person donates tissue. This can include eye tissue, skin, heart valves, bone, cartilage, and tendon tissue. This tissue ends up in a tissue bank. Doctors use these tissues to help patients. This is called tissue transplantation. This can improve their quality of life.
Tissue transplantation improves the quality of life for patients. For example, a donor cornea allows someone to see better again. Donor skin can reduce pain, infections, and scarring in people with severe burns.
Milou received a donor meniscus
After a few surgeries and a long rehabilitation, a donated meniscus turned out to be the solution for Milou's knee injury.
Read Milou's story
Which tissues can you donate?
Tissues that a deceased person can donate are: skin, eye tissue, bone tissue, cartilage, tendons, and heart valves. We explain how these donor tissues can help patients for each type of tissue.
1. Eye tissue
We use two parts of the eye: the cornea and the sclera. The cornea can become cloudy due to a disease or condition. With a donated cornea, someone can see again. The sclera can be used to preserve a damaged eye. The sclera is the outer white layer of the eye.
2. Skin tissue
Donor skin is needed for people with burns and other skin injuries. Doctors use donor skin as a type of bandage. Donor skin reduces pain, infections, and scarring. Eventually, the donor skin falls off the healed wound by itself. When a thicker piece of donated skin from the back is transplanted, it does grow onto the recipient.
3. Bone tissue
Doctors use donor bone to replace damaged bone. This may be necessary, for example, in cases of cancer or hip surgery.
4. Cartilage
Doctors use donor cartilage to repair damaged joints. Think, for example, of knee tissue. This can help patients move better and can reduce pain.
5. Tendons
Doctors use tendons to repair damaged joints. For example, in patients with rheumatism. Tendon tissue is also used to repair torn tendons, for instance in knees or shoulders.
6. Heart valves
A heart valve can help patients lead a normal life again. These patients are newborn babies with a congenital heart defect, adults with a malfunctioning heart valve, and patients with an acute heart valve infection. They urgently need a new heart valve. Research is also being conducted into whether certain parts of the heart's major blood vessels (patches) can be used for transplantation. These patches are used to repair a patient's blood vessels.
Frequently asked questions about tissue donation
Can everyone 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 regarding health and lifestyle. The exact rules differ 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 the health of the tissue. Based on that, doctors decide whether the tissue is suitable for transplantation.