Referral Call
When a death occurs in a hospital, the hospital is required by federal law to report the death to a donor referral line. When this happens, donor agencies like The Tissue Center will contact the hospital to evaluate the patient for donor suitability. Referral calls may also originate from a medical examiner, justice of the peace, hospice care, or even a funeral director.
The Tissue Center staff operates on an on-call basis 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Screening
Each potential donor is screened for suitability based on medical and social history, age, and other criteria set forth by the FDA, the American Association of Tissue Banks, and outside processors that prepare the tissues for future transplantation. If additional information is needed, we will consult with physicians, medical staff, and family members to acquire the needed information. We will exclude donors who may be unsuitable due to certain transmissible diseases, infections, malignancy, toxic exposure, IV drug abuse, HIV, autoimmune disease, and high-risk behaviors. It is our mission to provide the community with only the safest, highest quality tissue for transplant.
Informed Consent
Once a thorough screening of the potential donor has been accomplished and we are confident this is a suitable donor, the coordinator will contact the legal next-of-kin to discuss the option of donation. The responsibility of the coordinator is to provide as much information as necessary for families to make an informed decision without exerting pressure or bias. In all cases, the family decides what will or will not be donated. If the family is not comfortable with the decision to donate, we will not encourage or coerce them. Rather, we support them, their feelings, and make ourselves available to assist them in making arrangements or in providing them with grief support materials.
Consent may take place in person or may be obtained and recorded by telephone. During the consent process, the donor coordinator will explain which tissues may be donated, how they may be used, and will answer any questions the family may have.
For families who have not discussed donation in advance, this can be a very difficult time. We encourage everyone to learn the facts about donation, make a personal choice, and discuss it with their loved ones so their wishes may be carried out. The Tissue Center’s Hand It Down program is a useful method of informing your next-of-kin of your wish to save and enhance lives. Our hope is that you will share your life and share your decision.
Recovery Of Tissue
Tissues are recovered by a surgical recovery team in an aseptic environment following guidelines and standards established by the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB) and the Association of Operating Room Nurses (AORN). Tissue recovery may take place in a hospital operating room or morgue, funeral home, or other surgical site. During the entire process, the donor’s body is treated with the utmost dignity and respect.
The surgical recovery team will replace many of the recovered tissues with a suitable prosthesis to accommodate the family’s funeral arrangements, including an open casket service. The Tissue Center works closely with funeral homes to ensure that all burial issues are handled appropriately and according to the family’s wishes.
