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An cadaverous organ donor can either be a "heart-beating donor" (aka, brain dead) or a "non-heart beating donor". Those in the first category have suffered a severe head injury, meaning they will never regain consciousness or recover, but their heart is still pumping blood around their body. Whereas those in the other group have suffered some event which has stopped their heart - e.g a sudden cardiac arrest.
Those in the "non-heart beating donor" category are never used for heart transplants, since their heart has been the cause of their death; their heart does not work.
Only those in the "heart-beating donor" category are used for heart transplants; in these donors, the heart does not stop beating until it is removed from their body - the heart is not "dead" as such, but the donor is brain dead so has no use for a functioning heart. And just because the heart ceases to beat when outside of the body does not mean it is "dead".
Possibly your question should be "how long do you get between harvesting a heart for transplant until it becomes unusable?", since using a "dead" heart for a transplant would be utterly pointless. However, if that was your question, you get around 4-5 hours.
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∙ 12y ago
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If a donor recipient dies can the organ be re used?
Usually the donor's transplanted organ is not transplanted again - it puts a lot of stress on the organ. And depending on how long the donor recipient has been on immuno-suppression for, some of the other organs may not be used (it can affect the kidneys a lot).
Can anyone donate organs in the UK?
There are not age limits for becoming an organ donor, as long as you have no medical issues that would preclude you.
Can a recovering druggie be an organ donor if he or she has been sober long enough?
Anybody can register as an organ donor. However, if you are asking whether your organs would actually be considered for use upon your death (assuming you died in a suitable way), there is nothing to rule you out from becoming an organ donor, so longs as your organs are still functioning and you do not have any significant medical problems (e.g any form of hepatitis, vCJD, HIV etc...)
Why are organs put on ice when they are being transported long distances from the donor to the recipient?
Cold will slow the decomposition process of tissues. Just like freezing a steak so it can be thawed and eaten months down the road.
How readily is non-heart-beating-donation used?
Non-heart beating donation is used where possible, but the problem is as soon as the donor's heart stops beating, the organs deteriorate within their body. ( Obviously, NHBD is never used for heart transplants.) Usually kidneys can be transplanted from NHB donor's, however the donor needs to be injected with a preserving solution within minutes of the donor's heart stopping beating. (This usually means doing it before consent for organ donation has been obtained). This essentially means that the donor must die in a hospital and be treated by doctors with some foresight. Clearly, sometimes the odds of this happening are quite small, hence the low numbers of NHB donors. NHB donors pretty much have to die in a hospital, otherwise it can be quite tricky to assess how long they have been dead for, and how much the organs have deteriorate in that time. The conditions for a NHB donor to successfully donate organs are quite limiting, otherwise they would be used far more readily.
Can organs be donated to parents?
yes.organs can be donated to parents as long as the other person is fully grown. but still is a yes.
How long has World Blood Donor day been celebrated for?
20 years
How long can people live with an organ transplant?
Not long; for most organs it's a few hours (the longer it takes the worse the outcome)- for some upto 8 hours. Corneas for transplantation last far longer.
How long can a panda live till the panda dies?
by looking after them
How long do you live when organs start shutting down?
Not long!
How long after someone dies can bill collector demand money from an Estate in North Carolina?
As long as the estate is still open. And if the debtor wasn't notified, they may be able to re-open the estate.
How long can a heart be kept once removed from a donor?
Under the right circumstances, it can be kept FOREVER.
