critical analysis draft

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Student Name

Professor Morris

English 2367

14 November 2019

Organ Donation: You Can Make a Difference

The national organ transplant waiting list continues to grow larger and larger, day by day,

and we need to take action to decrease the number of patients dying before they receive a

lifesaving organ. Although the idea of everyone receiving a transplant that will save their life is

desirable, it’s practically impossible to save every single person that is on the waiting list. It may

not be possible to reduce the amount of names added to the waiting list everyday, but it is

certainly possible to reduce the amount of people that die each day while waiting for a lifesaving

transplant. Significant research has been done to explain the reason for the continuous shortage

of organ donors and possible solutions have been proposed to put an end to the issue. Majority of

research on organ donation agrees that proper education about donation processes, improved

procurement processes, and donation after circulatory or cardiac death are all potential solutions

to increase the donor pool. Implementation of these ideas is necessary to decrease the amount of

patients dying and to increase the amount of registered donors.

Many people are opposed to and become uncomfortable when the topic of organ donation

arises in conversation. The primary cause of this opposition and fear are the numerous believable

but certainly untrue misperceptions regarding organ donation after deceased. In his TED Talk,

“Giving the Gift of Life through Organ Donation,” transplant surgeon Chris Barry speaks with a

great deal of emotion and knowledge about organ donation after deceased. Dr. Chris Barry lists a

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few of the formidable myths that surround organ donation which include: belief that a person’s

religion does not accept organ donation, doctors will not work as hard to save your life if they

know that you are a registered organ donor, and finally the belief that one is too old to donate

their organs. He states that, “This kind of thinking is killing people.” It’s important for everyone

to be informed about the facts regarding organ donation and to not fall into the trap of the

countless misperceptions. In fact, Paolo Bruzzone, MD provides the facts of religious beliefs on

organ donation in his article, “Religious Aspects of Organ Transplantation,” he confirms that

“No religion formally forbids donation or receipt of organs or is against transplantation from

living or deceased donors.” These myths are recognized and explained in the majority of

research done on organ donation and transplantation. Specifically, the Health Resources and

Services Administration (HRSA) informs the public about the myths and provides the facts about

the myths eliminating any confusion about organ donation and transplantation. The HRSA states

that, “There’s no age limit to organ donation. To date, the oldest donor in the U.S. was age 93.”

The many misperceptions that surround organ transplantation and donation are one of the main

causes of the shortage of donors and an increasingly large transplant waiting list. To encourage

more people to become an organ donor, Dr. Barry implies that talk of organ donation should

become a routine practice during estate planning, routine doctor visits, and when employers

speak to their employees about healthcare and retirement benefits. Knowledge about organ

donation and transplantation is necessary in order for a decrease in the number of people dying

each year while waiting for a transplant.

Another significant cause of the transplant waiting list growing increasingly large day by

day is the processes used for organ procurement. Improvement of the processes used to obtain

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organs from the deceased donor is essential in order for an increase in the number of recipients

receiving a lifesaving transplant. In the article, “DCD donors: A unique source to significantly

increase organ donation” from the​ Journal of Hepatology, ​Juan C. García-Valdecasas, MD, Ph.D

distinguishes the differences between the two main types of donation after cardiac death (DCD)

donors (Maastricht category II and Maastricht category III) and the different types of procedures

used for obtaining organs. Maastricht category III donors are ICU patients for whom cardiac

arrest was expected, which is known as controlled donation after cardiac death. The other main

type of donor is a category II donor, a person who has undergone resuscitation attempts that have

been proved to be unsuccessful resulting in unexpected cardiac arrest. A Maastricht category II

donor is referred to as an uncontrolled donation after cardiac death. Dr. García-Valdecasas

implies that, “...mechanisms should be added during and after the procedure to obtain the graft,

which would clearly improve two aspects: the overall efficiency of the organ retrieval and

assurance as to the quality of the organ”. The Normothermic Extracorporeal Machine

Oxygenator (NECMO) is a life support machine that has the ability to reduce or reverse any

injuries that occur during the organ retrieval process. The NECMO follows the process of

pumping blood out of the body, oxygenating it and then returning it to the body. Results have

shown that the use of the NECMO could potentially increase the donor pool by 33%. Dr. Martin

Smith, the author of “Organ donation after circulatory death: current status and future potential,”

agrees with Dr. García-Valdecasas that donation after circulatory death donors are a potential

source for an increase in the donor pool. Dr. Smith stated that, “The substantial unrealized

potential for DCD could not only increase the availability of organs for transplantation but also

offer more patients the opportunity to donate.” Although utilization of machines during the

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retrieval process is more advantageous than it is disadvantageous, it does have one drawback,

which is that it can give the family of the deceased donor false hope that the patient is still alive

because of the machine creating the illusion that the patient is still breathing. But all in all, it has

been proven that advancement of procedures for organ procurement and retrieval is crucial for

more successful transplants and an increase in the donor pool.

Proper education about the processes and procedures of organ donation and

implementation of improved procurement processes will allow for organ donation to become a

more accepted topic. Both must be implemented simultaneously in order for any change to result.

America must include more conversation about organ donation registration in more situations

other than when receiving a license at the Department of Motor Vehicles and becoming a patient

at the Intensive Care Unit. It’s obvious that immediate acceptance of everyone will not result but

it is inevitable that an increase in the donor pool would result. As Dr. Barry said in his TED Talk,

“If you’re not an organ donor when you die, then you are taking a lot of people with you.”

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Works Cited

Barry, Dr. Chris. ​Giving the Gift of Life through Organ Donation​. ​YouTube ​, YouTube, 11 Aug.

2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=UigBNjBLByc.

Bruzzone, Paolo. “Religious Aspects of Organ Donation.” ​Transplantation Proceedings ​, vol. 40,

no. 4, May 2008, p. 1064.,

www-sciencedirect-com.cscc.ohionet.org/science/article/pii/S0041134508002534?via%3

Dihub#!

García-Valdecasas, Juan C. “DCD Donors: A Unique Source to Significantly Increase Organ

Donation.” ​Journal of Hepatology​, vol. 55, no. 4, 2011, pp. 745–746.,

doi:10.1016/j.jhep.2011.06.002.

Health Resources and, Services Administration. “Organ Donation Myths and Facts.” ​Organ

Donor​, 16 Apr. 2019,

www.organdonor.gov/about/facts-terms/donation-myths-facts.html​.

Smith, Martin, et al. “Organ Donation after Circulatory Death: Current Status and Future

Potential.” ​SpringerLink ​, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 6 Feb. 2019,

link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00134-019-05533-0.