Organ Donation Pros and Cons: The human body is an exceptional example of Godโs perfection. Any serious illness or accident could result in irreversible loss of organ or part of the body.
If the organ of a person losses after any severe disease or misfortune, it could be replaced with an organ of an individual, willing to donate in his life or after death.
The donation of the organ after death can only take place if the donating person has made a will in his life for donation. Sometimes, the family of the deceased could approve of donating the organ of the departed person.
By many, the process of organ donation is viewed as lifesaver while others consider it a useless process, effective just only for a few months. Letโs have a look at many merits and demerits of organ donation:
Table of Contents
Organ Donation Pros
Here are the top 10 organ donation pros or advantages:
1. Gifting Life
Undoubtedly, organ donors are reflected as blessed people involved in curbing the sufferings of organ receivers, by providing a part of their body.
2. Multiple Recipients
The statistical analysis is based upon the number of organs donated by the person, i.e., two kidneys, two lungs, heart, intestine, pancreas, and liver.
Other than vital organs, the cornea of eyes, skin and various body tissues are also donated.
3. Personal Contentment
Under the light of this unceasing pain, the organ donor acts as a ray of hopefulness, not only for the sufferer but also the afflicted relatives.
4. No Age Limitations
The US Department of Human Health and Services denies any specification of age and ethnicity to be an organ donor.
Even children under the age of 18 years are eligible to donate their organs, under the written consent of parents or guardian.
5. Donation Expenses on Receiver
Even if the post-surgical complications require the donor to be admitted in the hospital for a few months, the bills and expenditure are free for the person donating the organ and are usually endured by the organ recipient.
The doctors performing the surgical procedure are also involved in doing the job free of any charge.
6. Prospective Scientific Research
Similarly, patients suffering from any genetic diseases are asked to donate their organs, after death, to aid in potential research and development in medial advancement, for saving future lives.
7. Liver Re-Growth
Liver donors do not encounter common problems regarding organ donation, and after a small span, both the recipient and donor start living a normal life as the liver of both becomes approximate to its actual dimension.
8. Strengthening Bonds
The spirit of sacrificing a part of the body for your loved one not only helps the patient going through the illness but also helps in getting relations closer by firming the bonds, within the family.
Donors receive immense contentment and pleasure, by watching their loved ones recovering from the cruel suffering because of them.
9. Immediate Recovery
The recovery phase post organ transplantation has reduced immensely as compared to before. The organs transplanted such as liver and kidneys start doing their work inside the body straight away.
For the donor, the use of effective medicines along with better care facilities, lessen the process of recovery, after the surgical procedure. The administration of medicines helps in the prevention of post-surgical infection and pain.
10. Regaining Normal Lifestyle
The patient comes out of prolonging discomfort of organ support, as in the case of patients of kidney dialysis. Recipient regains usual life activities and gets rolling things in life to the fullest.
This transplant affects the lifespan of the recipient also. Life expectancy of the organ recipient increases on average to 10 years.
Organ Donation Cons
Here are the organ donation cons or disadvantages:
1. Decreased Donors Availability
In 2015, 121,000 people were not able to receive organs due to the lack of organ donors in the United States. The problem has markedly affected the transplantation rate of organs.
The major part of organ donation comes from deceased people instead of living donors that are unwilling to donate their organs.
2. Prolong Grievances
The purpose of life support is to keep the cells and tissue of the body in proper working condition. The period has a critical impact on relatives and family.
To watch someone fighting for life for an extended period is a heartfelt experience through which the relatives have to pass.
3. Organ Rejection
Scientifically, it happens because of the recipientโs immune system rejecting the donor organ or tissue taking it as a foreign entity. Therefore, the organ transplantation is not always successful due to the hindrance of transplant rejection.
4. Pain
Doctors prescribe multiple anesthetic medicines (pain relievers) to lessen the after-effects of surgery but time is required by the medicine to manifest their mode of action.
5. Infection
Moreover, post-operative mishandling may also lead to the incidence of infections in donors.
6. Less Probability of Relief
It is estimated that donors of a kidney transplant have lessened life expectancy as compared to normal individuals.
7. Expensive Procedures
Even before the surgery is performed, the phase of matching donor and recipient organs is highly priced due to the precision of methods involved to check the donorโs organ of any malfunctioning and infection.
8. Late Discharges
For the recipient, it is definite to be kept under strict observation and care till proper recovery.
9. Risks associated with Donor Women
Recently, the issues of increased blood pressure and pre-eclampsia have been reported in women who have donated their organs for transplantation.
10. Blood Loss
The importance of preventing the blood loss in the midst of operation is undeniable as it could end up in lethal effects.
The specified cases of blood loss are quite common in liver transplantation procedures.
Organ donation involves many merits and demerits. However, the purpose of life-saving rightfully denies all the odds. The U. S government supports its people to get them registered as organ donors to lessen the number of 118,000 people waiting in the list, to be gifted a life.
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References
- Cover image source Flickr
- โThe Power of Organ Donation to Save Lives Through Transplantationโ. Accessed October 26, 2018. Link.
- โOrgan Donation Statisticsโ. Accessed October 26, 2018. Link.
- โIs There an Age Limit for Organ Donation?โ. Accessed October 26, 2018. Link.
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- โLiver regeneration in donors and adult recipients after living donor liver transplantation โ PubMed โ NCBIโ. Accessed October 26, 2018. Link.
- โWhy Is Organ Transplantation Clinically Important?โ. Accessed October 26, 2018. Link.
- โDeceased organ donation for transplantation: Challenges and opportunitiesโ. Accessed October 26, 2018. Link.
- โTransplant rejection: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopediaโ. Accessed October 26, 2018. Link.
- โLiving Donation: Points to Considerโ. Accessed October 26, 2018. Link.
- โInfectious Disease Transmission during Organ and Tissue Transplantationโ. Accessed October 26, 2018. Link.
- โBenefits and risks of becoming a living organ donor โ American Transplant Foundationโ. Accessed October 26, 2018. Link.
- โLiving kidney donors face higher health risks during later pregnancies: study | CTV Newsโ. Accessed October 26, 2018. Link.
- โBlood loss, predictors of bleeding, transfusion practice and strategies of blood cell salvaging during liver transplantationโ. Accessed October 26, 2018. Link.
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