The Organ Emergency: Why Shou... Video Transcript

Participants

, Julia Grivera , David Pearl , Mark Pochapin MD, Lindee Chin MD

Summary

Have you ever looked at the back of your driver's licence, come close to checking "yes" for organ donation, then changed your mind? The decision is ultimately up to you, but you should know the facts - and the moving stories - surrounding the issue to make an informed decision. On today's program we'll be discussing the current state of organ donation with an organ donation activist and a liver recipient, and try to dispell some common myths and misunderstandings about the process.

Webcast Transcript

MARK POCHAPIN, MD: Welcome to our webcast. Most of us have a driver's license, and when we look on the other side we see something about organ donation and we just turn the license back over and put it in our pockets. With me today to discuss this is an organ transplant recipient, David Pearl, who is also a friend and colleague. David is a liver transplant recipient and works as an ultrasound technologist at New York Presbyterian Hospital. Welcome, David.

Sitting next to David is Julia Grivera. She is a professional educational specialist at the New York Organ Donor Network. Thank you, Julia.

Let's talk about organ donation. Julia, what is the magnitude of the need, and howcome more people do not actually sign up for organ donation?

JULIA GRIVERA: There are a number of things that block it, and I'll talk about that. But I've got to tell you that every 18 minutes another person gets added to the waiting list.

On the other hand, we have very few people that are saying yes to donation. There are fears. There are fears and myths that are associated. Some people think that it's against their religion. The fact about that is that all the major religions have taken a position in support of organ donation. Some people are afraid that a donation, when the organs are procured, will disfigure the body of their loved one and they will not be able to have an open casket wake and a funeral. Well, that is false, also, because the incisions are done in such a way to preserve the integrity of that body and to insure that they are able to have an open casket. In addition to that, there are other kinds of fears that are associated that are also associated with grief. What we are trying to do is to ask people to have a conversation about this. Most of us are afraid to talk about death. We're afraid to even think that we're going to die. If we write our donor card, then something may happen. The reality is that we really need to begin to talk about this because we need to have insurance, we need to protect our families, and, along with that, we want to make sure that we sing a donor card. Most families that know what your option, that you choose to make a gift of life, will honor your choices. If we sign the back of our driver's license or we sign a donor card, it doesn't mean that in the hospital we are able to recover the organs, because the family still has to sign a consent.

MARK POCHAPIN, MD: What is actually involved? David, you received a liver, and you know that you had an operation at a time when it was life and death for you, but you really didn't know much about what went through to get that liver to you. Julia, what goes on? How do we get livers, and what does the family go through?

JULIA GRIVERA: First of all, because transplants have become a routine operation, there is federal legislation that requires that every death that occurs in a hospital setting is reported to our organization. The New York Organ Donor Network is one of 163 organ procurement organizations, and we are responsible for recovery of organs to make them available for transplant. The minute the hospital contacts our office -- and we're there 24 hours, seven days a week -- then we send out a team. The team is working very closely with the doctors and the nurses in the critical care units to insure that the family is given all the information. We will not be called until a patient has been declared dead. There are very specific, as you very well know, criteria for what a brain-death patient is. Once the patient has been declared brain-dead, then we will work with the staff to perform certain procedures and tests to insure that their organs are viable for donation.