Speaker addresses misconceptions about organ donations
BROWNSVILLE – The speaker at Tuesday’s Greater Brownsville Area Chamber of Commerce meeting attempted to clear up some “misconceptions” about organ donations. Ben Blasko of the Center for Organ Recovery and Education (CORE) was guest speaker. CORE covers central and western Pennsylvania, all of West Virginia and a portion of New York state. Blasko said Fayette County is the third lowest county in Pennsylvania for the percentage of people who are signed up as organ donors. He said part of the problem is the need to educate the public about organ donation and clearing up common misconceptions about being an organ donor.
“A common misconception is ‘If I’m in an accident, they are going to let me die so they can use my organs.’ If you know about the organ donor program, it’s ludicrous. If you die in an accident, they can’t use your organs,” Blasko said.
“I have yet to talk to an EMT (emergency medical technician), a paramedic or a firefighter who looked at a person’s driver’s license to see if they were an organ donor,” Blasko said.
Blasko said that in order for organs to be viable for transplant, the donor must be in a hospital setting, on a ventilator and be declared brain dead. The organs from a person who dies because their heart stops beating cannot be used for transplant, because the organs are damaged once they stop getting oxygen.
Blasko said another misconception that brain death is the same as being in a coma. He said that while someone in a coma may be on life support and the family may be asked to decide whether or not to continue that support, the person still has brain function and the coma could still possibly be reversed.
Blasko said brain death occurs when the brain swells and the blood supply to it is cut off, stopping all brain activity and closing down the organs if a ventilator isn’t in use. Blasko said the ventilator is simply keeping the internal organs viable, but there is no chance of resuscitation once brain activity has ceased.
Another misconception, Blasko said, is that there is an expense to the donor’s estate for the organ procurement. Blasko said some insurances will pay for the organ removal, but generally the expense of the continued life support after brain death and cost of organ removal is covered either by the recipient’s insurance, or by CORE, not by the donor. The donor’s family is only liable for medical expenses, including life support, up to the time brain death is declared.
Blasko said the concept of a list for organ recipients is also misunderstood. There is no one individual at the top of the list, and procurement centers such as CORE do not keep lists by name. Blasko said that when a brain death occurs at any of the 155 hospitals in CORE’s service area, the information is sent to CORE. CORE then does a computer match with those awaiting transplants based on the organ needed, the height and weight of the donor and recipient, and then by blood type and other medical criteria.
Blasko said that because of the need to match the various criteria, a person new to the list doesn’t necessarily have the longest wait. He is speaking from personal experience, having received a kidney and pancreas transplant nearly nine years ago.
“I was told I would be on the list for about two years. I got my first call after two weeks,” Blasko said.
There was a problem with the pancreas though and Blasko opted not to receive the organs. He was called again four weeks later and has lived with those organs ever since.
Blasko said that nationwide, there are about 8,000 people awaiting organ transplants and about 17 die each day because organs aren’t available. In CORE’s service area, there are about 2,000 people on the waiting list, with an average of two to three deaths each day.
Blasko said that nationwide, 10,000 to 12,000 people die each year who are potential organ donors, but very few actually end up being donors. He said that in the past, the next of kin had to authorize organ donation even if a person carried a donor card, but Pennsylvania law changed in 1994 accepting an organ donor card as a binding contract for anyone over the age of 18. Blasko said most families of people carrying donor cards agree to donate the organs if they are aware of their loved one’s wishes, so it is important to let family members know your intentions about organ donation.
Blasko said there is no minimum or maximum age for organ donation and there are no diseases that would prohibit someone from being an organ donor. Blasko said even organs from a person with hepatitis or HIV/AIDS can be used for transplant recipients with the same diseases.
“Each case is evaluated on a case by case basis,” Blasko said.
For more information about organ donation, or to arrange for an educational program for your school, business or organization, call CORE at 1-800-DONORS-7 (1-800-366-6777).