How are organs and tissues recovered?
Organs are recovered in an sterile operating room using qualified surgical personnel and protocols. Tissues are often recovered in operating rooms but can also be recovered in sterile surgical facilities at medical examiners’ offices or at some mortuaries. All donations are a precious gift and are treated with respect and dignity. Standard surgical sutures or staples are used to close the incisions – just as with any operation. If needed during tissue donation, prosthetic devices will be used to maintain the body’s original form.
At the time of death, organ and tissue donation is offered to the next-of-kin. Once consent has been obtained, the donation process is set into motion. Tissues are recovered up to 24 hours after death in a hospital operating room by trained technicians. The tissues are recovered and prosthetic devices are put in place to maintain the form of the body. The body is carefully reconstructed and returned to the hospital morgue whereupon the funeral home that the family has selected picks up the body. The tissues are stored in freezers until all of the quality assurance tests come back verifying that no diseases are present. Once all quality assurance measures are approved, the tissue is then processed into grafts for distribution to clinicians.
