Join The Organ Donor Register
Around 140 people in Northern Ireland are waiting for an organ transplant and sadly around nine people die each year while on the waiting list.
If you have decided to add your name to the NHS Organ Donor Register, there are a number of ways you can sign up, including:
The NHS Organ Donor Register also allows people who do not want to be an organ donor to register that choice. People can also register details of a representative or representatives if they feel they would want someone to make the decision for them after death.
Children aged 14 and over in Northern Ireland can sign the NHS Register and parents/guardians can register their children before the age of 14 if it is something the child has expressed a wish to do.
Funding To Keep The Registry Development And Sustaining The Efforts
Funding for the registry can come from the corpus of the Indian Society of Transplantation. Other similar societies like the Urological Society of India and the Indian Society of Nephrology can also help with funding. Regular sponsorship from the pharmaceuticals would go a long way in sustaining the costs. The Chronic Kidney Disease registry started by the Indian Society of Nephrology has also been funded for the last three years by the industry. So far the financial investment in the development of the registry has been minimal. Ad hoc grants have been made for the registry. The registry now requires a fulltime web-master who can play the dual role of managing the registry and also training member institutions. Financial support is also required to keep the data on a secure dedicated server to support yearly hosting and maintenance charges and domain name re-registration charges.
Find A Transplant Center
The next step is to find a kidney transplant center by checking with the United Network for Organ Sharings Directory of Transplant Programs.
Before you contact a transplant center, check to see how it stacks up to other centers in terms of kidney transplant outcomes, such as patient and graft survival, and waitlist activity. The Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients has national data on these issues.
Each transplant center has its own criteria that potential recipients must satisfy in order to get on the waitlist. You can get on the waiting list at multiple centersit’s called “multiple listing”but remember you may incur additional costs for testing and evaluation. Be aware that matching kidneys first go to local residents, then regional residents, and then they are made available nationally.
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Multidisciplinary Kidney Transplant Team
Our team of experts includes highly trained surgeons, transplant nephrologists, transplant nurse coordinators, pharmacists, dieticians, social workers, psychologists and many other specialties. Patients have 24/7 access to the transplant team, which provides one-to-one patient education. There is consistent communication by the transplant team with the patient, family, referring physicians, general nephrologists, dialysis centers and other providers. The team’s focus is providing compassionate, personalized care and careful follow-up. Members of our multilingual staff are fluent in a number of languages, including Spanish, Hindi, Polish and French.
Contact a nurse coordinator to get answers to your questions, gather information or make an appointment.
Waiting For A Transplant
If you’re on the waiting list for a kidney, the transplant centre will need to contact you at short notice once a kidney becomes available, so you must inform staff if there are any changes to your contact details.
You should also inform staff if there are changes to your health for example, if you develop an infection.
While waiting for a donated kidney to become available, it’s important to stay as healthy as possible by:
- eating a healthy diet read more about healthy eating
- taking regular exercise if possible read more about exercise and getting fit
- cutting down on alcohol recommended limits for alcohol consumption are 14 units a week for men and women read some tips on cutting down on alcohol
- stopping smoking if you smoke read more about stopping smoking
Make sure you always have an overnight bag ready for when the call comes, and make arrangements with friends, family and work so you can go to the transplant centre as soon as a donor kidney becomes available.
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What Are The Benefits Of Kidney Transplantation
A successful kidney transplant gives you increased strength, stamina, and energy. After transplantation, you should be able to return to a more normal lifestyle and have more control over your daily living. You can have a normal diet and more normal fluid intake.
If you were dependent on dialysis before the transplant, you’ll have more freedom because you won’t be bound to your dialysis schedules.
Anemia, a common problem with kidney failure, might be corrected after transplantation. If you have hypertension , you could be on fewer blood pressure medications after transplantation.
Where Does Your New Kidney Come From
Kidneys for transplantation come from two sources: living donors and deceased donors. Living donors are usually immediate family members or sometimes spouses. Deceased donor kidneys usually come from people who have willed their kidneys before their death by signing organ donor cards. Permission for donation can also be given by the deceased person’s family at the time of death.
All donors are carefully screened to make sure there is a suitable match and to prevent any transmissible diseases or other complications.
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Kidney Transplant: What You Need To Know
The kidney transplant operation typically takes three hours. The surgical team will place the donor kidney through a small incision into the patients pelvis, and delicately connect the vein, artery, and ureter.
Typically, only one kidney is transplanted because only one kidney is needed to gain normal function. Surgeons usually do not need to remove the recipient’s diseased kidney.
Most patients stay in the hospital three nights after the transplant surgery. The new kidney usually begins working during this time, although in some cases dialysis is necessary until the transplanted kidney is fully functioning. Patients can typically return to normal, active lives within six weeks of their kidney transplant.
Kidney transplant recipients must take immunosuppressive drugs for the rest of their lives maintain proper weight and blood pressure eat a diet low in cholesterol and sugar forego smoking and alcohol and see their transplant team regularly.
When Can I Go Back To Work
Many kidney transplant patients are able to return to work within a few months following a successful surgery. However, various aspects of the recovery process can affect the timing of your return.
You will need to discuss returning to your job with the Transplant Team. When the time approaches, a return to work letter will be provided. This will let your employer know when you may begin working and what limitations, if any, you have.
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Are There Any Foods Medications Or Supplements I Should Avoid After A Kidney Transplant
There are a few foods and other substances that you should avoid after a kidney transplant. These items can hurt your kidney function and put you at risk for complications. Its important to follow your healthcare providers recommendations on what you should and shouldnt consume after your transplant. Dietary changes can sometimes be necessary after a kidney transplant, on a short-term basis. If your transplant is working well, youll also need to learn about possible interactions with transplant-sustaining drugs. If your new kidney is not doing well, dietary recommendations might be similar to those for chronic kidney disease .
Its important that you practice good hygiene to avoid infections when youre eating. In the first 90 days after surgery, your weakened immune system puts you at high risk for infectious diseases. Your provider will likely advise you to avoid close crowds where contact with an infected person is more likely. When you do go out, be sure to wash your hands frequently and stay away from people who are ill.
When it comes to the food and drinks you consume, there are a few tips you should follow, including:
Which Organs You Can Donate
Advances in transplant medicine mean more patients can now be saved, or their quality of life improved through organ donation. When you sign the NHS Donor Register, you can choose which organs you wish to donate. The organs which can be donated are:
- heart for conditions such as heart disease, sometimes medicine or conventional surgeries no longer work and a transplant can be the only option
- lungs many patients needing a transplant have chronic infection of the lungs from cystic fibrosis and other conditions such as bronchiectasis
- kidney when kidneys fail, people suffer tiredness, swelling, breathlessness, anaemia, anxiety and nausea, a kidney transplant frees patients from the burden of dialysis
- liver transplantation is usually done either to treat the symptoms of a disease such as primary biliary cirrhosis, or to save the life of a patient dying from liver failure
- pancreas a pancreas transplant is the only treatment which restores insulin independence for people with Type 1 diabetes and can prevent, or slow, diabetic complications like blindness or kidney failure
- small bowel small bowel transplantation is a treatment for both adults and children with intestinal failure, helping them to avoid life-threatening infections and other complications
- tissue this can include heart valves and parts of the eye, such as the corneas and sclera, and can save the lives of children born with malformed hearts or help to restore sight for people with eye disease or injuries
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Being A Living Kidney Donor
If you have two healthy kidneys, you may be able to donate one of your kidneys to enhance or save someone elses life. Both you and the recipient of your kidney can live with just one healthy kidney.
If you are interested in living kidney donation:
- Contact the transplant center where a transplant candidate is registered.
- You will need to have an evaluation at the transplant center to make sure that you are a good match for the person you want to donate to and that you are healthy enough to donate.
- If you are a match, healthy, and willing to donate, you and the recipient can schedule the transplant at a time that works for both of you.
- If you are not a match for the intended recipient, but still want to donate your kidney so that the recipient you know can receive a kidney that is a match, paired kidney exchange may be an option for you.
Another way to donate a kidney while you are alive is to give a kidney to someone you do not necessarily know. This is called living non-directed donation. If you are interested in donating a kidney to someone you do not know, the transplant center might ask you to donate a kidney when you are a match for someone who is waiting for a kidney in your area, or as part of kidney paired donation. You will never be forced to donate.
Popularizing The Usage Of The Registry With The Society Members
In the short and long term the success of the registry depends on the cooperation of the member hospitals. The initial awareness of the registry has been created by making presentations of the registry during the annual meeting of not only the ISOT but also at the sectional annual meetings of Urologists. Similar efforts have been made at the national meeting of liver transplants. The response from members at the meeting has been positive and the need for a registry is unanimously recognized. Most members are appreciative of the efforts of the society in this direction. Though the initial response to data submission has been slow, it is felt that with time the members would realize the value of the project and better participation is expected. International bodies have also promised help in this endeavor.
At present the hospitals participating require a part-time staff to enter the data prospectively. To streamline these efforts the society can provide initial grants and incentives for employment of such a person. Institutions that regularly keep their database updated can be rewarded to encourage other institutions.
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Celebrities And Kidney Transplants
The United States celebrity-fueled social media culture means many celebrities have become increasingly open about their health journeys, sharing personal stories about everything from wellness tips to lifesaving organ donations. Stevie Wonder, who announced to a sea of fans that he would be receiving a kidney transplant from a living donor at the end of 2019, recently updated his fans on his post-transplant progress. While celebrity reputation has no effect on a persons status on the transplant waiting list, an announcement like Steve Wonders reaches his millions of fans with a strong message about the importance of living organ donation. The question is, with about 109,000 people on the organ transplant waiting list in the U.S. how can we use celebrity voices to elevate the conversation about organ transplants and increase the number people both living and deceased who choose to make a lifesaving gift?
What Is A Kidney Transplant
A kidney transplant is a surgery done to replace a diseased kidney with ahealthy kidney from a donor. The kidney may come from a deceased organdonor or from a living donor. Family members or others who are a good matchmay be able to donate one of their kidneys. This type of transplant iscalled a living transplant. People who donate a kidney can live healthylives with one healthy kidney.
A person getting a transplant most often gets just 1 kidney. In raresituations, he or she may get 2 kidneys from a deceased donor. The diseasedkidneys are usually left in place. The transplanted kidney is placed in thelower belly on the front side of the body.
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Register For Organ Donation In India
When one person decides to donate organs, they can save up to 8 lives upon their death. 8 organs can be harvested from a brain dead person. These can be transplanted in 8 different people. But people are hesitant to donate their organs. The Transplantation of Human Organs Act was enacted in 1994. Yet, there have been hardly 16,000 kidney transplants ever since. Out of this, 4% of donations were from deceased donors. The highest number of organ donations in India was recorded in 2013. There were 852 organ donations in the year including heart, lungs, liver and kidney. In India, 13th August is observed as Organ Donation Day. This is an initiative by the Times of India in partnership with Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. This initiative is to create awareness about Organ Donation and encourage people to sign up as organ donors.
Let us quickly understand how to register for organ donation in India and then move on to understanding more about organ donation.
Why Do Some Patients Wait Longer Than Others For A Transplant
longevity matching
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What Happens During A Kidney Transplant
A kidney transplant requires a stay in a hospital. Procedures may varydepending on your condition and your healthcare provider’s practices.
Generally, a kidney transplant follows this process:
You will remove your clothing and put on a hospital gown.
An intravenous line will be started in your arm or hand. More catheters may be put in your neck and wrist to monitor the status of your heart and blood pressure, and to take blood samples. Other sites for catheters include under the collarbone area and the groin blood vessels.
If there is too much hair at the surgical site, it may be shaved off.
A urinary catheter will be inserted into your bladder.
You will be positioned on the operating table, lying on your back.
Kidney transplant surgery will be done while you are asleep under general anesthesia. A tube will be inserted through your mouth into your lungs. The tube will be attached to a ventilator that will breathe for you during the procedure.
The anesthesiologist will closely watch your heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and blood oxygen level during the surgery.
The skin over the surgical site will be cleansed with an antiseptic solution.
The healthcare provider will make a long incision into the lower abdomen on one side. The healthcare provider will visually inspect the donor kidney before implanting it.
The renal artery and vein of the donor kidney will be sewn to the external iliac artery and vein.
The donor ureter will be connected to your bladder.
How Long Can Donated Organs Last Outside The Deceased Body
Healthy organs should be transplanted as soon as possible to the recipient. However, the organs that have been retrieved from a brain-dead person are stored in a chemical solution and have limited life spans, ranging from a few to many hours. The typical storage time for major organs has been given below.
- Heart: 4 hours to 6 hours
- Liver: 12 hours to 24 hours
- Kidney: 48hours to 72 hours
- Heart-Lung: 4 hours to 6 hours
- Lung: 4 hours to 6 hours
Storage times vary because of the relative speed at which deterioration begins in the organs tissues.
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So, do not bury or burn your organs. Pass it on or give a gift of life to someone. There are some websites like organindia.org, donatelifeindia.org, etc, through which you can register your wish as a donor. We hope this article has taught you How to Register for Organ Donation in India. You can find more such information on health education on our website. Send this article to friends and family and make them understand the process of Organ Donation in India. Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. For more information on the same or similar topics, ask us down below. We will provide all the required information to you at the earliest. If you have liked the content of this article, connect with us on our .
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