What can be donated

What can be donated for transplantation includes solid organs, the eyes (corneas) and other ocular tissue, a range of musculoskeletal and other tissues, and, as a smaller category, vascularized composite allografts such as hands and faces. [1][2] Most of these gifts come from deceased donors, while certain organs and tissues can also be given by living donors. [1][3] According to figures published by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration through organdonor.gov, a single donor can save up to eight lives through organ donation and can improve or heal the lives of many more people through eye and tissue donation. [2]

This article surveys the categories of donatable organs and tissues. For the legal and procedural context, see Organ donation, Deceased donation, and Living donation.

Organs

The solid organs that can be transplanted from donors are: [1][2]

• Kidneys (two), the most commonly transplanted organ; see Kidney transplantation.
• Liver, which can also be split between recipients or donated in part by a living donor.
• Heart.
• Lungs (two).
• Pancreas.
• Intestines (small intestine / bowel), sometimes transplanted together with other abdominal organs.

A single deceased donor who gives all transplantable organs can benefit multiple recipients, which is the basis for the widely cited figure that one organ donor can save up to eight lives. [2]

Eyes and corneas

Donated eye tissue, most importantly the cornea, the clear front surface of the eye, is used to restore sight. [2] Corneal transplantation has a high success rate; organdonor.gov reports that more than 97% of corneal transplants restore the recipient's vision. [2] Eye donation is included when a person registers as an organ, eye, and tissue donor, and a single donor can typically restore sight to two people through corneal donation. [2]

Tissues

Tissue donation provides banked human allografts that can be processed, stored, and distributed to many recipients. [5] Donatable tissues include: [1][2][5]

• Corneas (also listed above, as ocular tissue).
• Skin, used for burn coverage, wound care, and reconstructive surgery.
• Bone and other musculoskeletal tissue, used in orthopedic, spinal, and dental reconstruction.
• Tendons and ligaments, used for joint and ligament repair.
• Cartilage.
• Heart valves, used to repair or replace diseased valves.
• Blood vessels (veins and arteries), used in cardiac and vascular reconstruction.
• Amniotic and other birth (placental) tissue, used in wound care and ocular surface repair.

Because tissue can be processed, sterilized, and stored, one tissue donor can help many recipients; organdonor.gov states that a single donor can heal or improve the lives of more than 75 people through tissue donation. [2] Tissue is recovered and distributed through accredited tissue banks and eye banks; see Tissue bank.

Vascularized composite allografts

Vascularized composite allografts (VCAs) are transplants made up of multiple tissue types, such as skin, bone, muscle, blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissue, recovered and transplanted as a single anatomical unit. [4][6] Examples include hand, arm, and face transplants. [4][6] VCAs were brought under the oversight of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), and were included as covered organs under the OPTN Final Rule (42 CFR Part 121), effective July 3, 2014, after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reclassified them from tissues to organs in 2013. [4][6] See Vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA).

Deceased versus living donation

Most donated organs and tissues come from deceased donors. [1][2] During life, a person can also donate certain organs and tissues: most commonly one kidney, and less commonly a segment of the liver, a lobe of a lung, or portions of intestine or pancreas. [1][3] Living donors may also give certain regenerating or replaceable tissues. [3] Living donation is medically and procedurally distinct from deceased donation; living donors undergo independent medical and psychosocial evaluation and are protected by an Independent Living Donor Advocate. [3] See Living donation.

Related donations handled through separate systems

Several other human gifts are sometimes grouped with organ and tissue donation in everyday language but are handled through separate systems and are not covered by the organ and tissue donor registry: [1][2]

• Blood and platelet donation, managed by blood-collection organizations.
• Bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cell donation, managed through dedicated marrow registries.
• Birth-tissue (cord blood and placental tissue) donation, which may be coordinated at the time of childbirth.

Whole-body donation to science, donating one's body for anatomical education or research, is also distinct from donation for transplantation and is arranged through separate body-donation programs. [1]

Donor-impact figures

The donor-impact figures cited above, that one donor can save up to eight lives, restore sight to two people, and heal or improve the lives of more than 75, are published by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration through organdonor.gov and by donation organizations. [2] These figures are summary statistics that depend on the donor's medical suitability and the organs and tissues actually recovered and used; they are point-in-time and should be re-confirmed against the primary source. [2]

See also

• Organ donation
• Deceased donation
• Living donation
• Kidney transplantation
• Tissue bank
• Vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA)
• How to register as an organ donor

References

• OrganDonor.gov (HRSA). "What Can Be Donated." https://www.organdonor.gov/learn/what-can-be-donated
• OrganDonor.gov (HRSA). "Information about Organ, Eye, and Tissue Donation" and donor-impact statistics. https://www.organdonor.gov/
• OrganDonor.gov (HRSA). "Living Organ Donation." https://www.organdonor.gov/learn/process/living-donation
• Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) / HRSA. "The status of Vascularized composite allograft allocation" (VCA covered under the OPTN Final Rule effective July 3, 2014). https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/news/the-status-of-vascularized-composite-allograft-allocation/
• Association for Advancing Tissue and Biologics (AATB). "What Can Be Donated / Tissue Donation." https://www.aatb.org/
• Patel V., et al. "Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation." StatPearls (NBK615569), NIH National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK615569/