The agreement of a person (or his or her family) to surgical removal of one or more organs for use in transplant surgery. Most organs for transplantation, such as the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys, are removed immediately after death, often in intensive care units where heart and lung function is sometimes maintained by machine after brain death been certified. Compatible living donors may also be able to give a kidney (see tissue-typing). People can facilitate use of their organs after death by informing relatives and carrying a donor card. (See also corneal graft; heart–lung transplant; heart transplant; heart-valve surgery; kidney transplant; liver transplant.)
Organ donation |
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