About Tissue Donation

Tissue donation does not require intact cardiovascular function. Still it should be considered a possibility in all circulatory deaths. There are very few contraindications to tissue donation such as cancer and sepsis. Tissues generally used for transplantation are corneas or sclera, skin, bone, tendons, soft tissue and heart valves. Great care is taken in the removal of tissues to ensure acceptable presentation of the body for funeral purposes. According to the most recent estimates, approximately 1.5 million tissues are distributed yearly in the United States.

Tissue that can be donated for transplantation include:

Skin

Transplanted skin is used as replacement tissue over 1,000,000 times per year. Three quarters of this usage occurs in life-saving circumstances such as severe burns. It is estimated that another 500,000 patients could have their wound-healing time shortened if enough skin were available. Skin is removed in a thin layer, generally from the back, buttocks, and back of the thighs. Skin donation does not interfere with an open casket funeral for the donor.

Bone

Banked bone is used to replace bone that has been destroyed by tumors, trauma, and infection, allowing limbs to be spared that would otherwise have to be amputated. Most frequently, the long bones from the legs are recovered. Where necessary, prosthetic devices are used to replace the removed bone, therefore, bone donation does not interfere with an open casket funeral.

Soft Tissue

Soft tissues such as tendons, fascia, and pericardium are used in ligament repairs, craniotomy and dural defects repairs, eyelid repair, periodontal surgery and bladder suspension and repair.

Eyes and Corneas

Corneas are used in over 45,000 transplant procedures yearly to restore sight. A prosthetic eye is inserted after eye removal, so there is no change in the appearance of the donor for an open casket funeral.

Heart Valves

Heart valves are used in cardiovascular surgery for patients with valvular disease. The heart valves are recovered from hearts which can not be used for solid organ transplantation.