A organ donation can save the lives of many people, but this is still a topic that raises many doubts in the population.
Brazil has a unique list of people waiting for transplants and, according to the Brazilian Association of Organ Transplants (ABTO), there are at least 50,000 people on that list.
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We separate 10 myths and truths about organ donation to clarify some common doubts about the subject, see below.
Myths and truths about organ donation
1 — Just one donor can benefit many people
É true! A single donor can benefit up to 10 people waiting in the transplant queues.
The number of people waiting for an organ is very large, so it is important to have as many donors as possible.
2 — Most organs and tissues can be donated
É true! The majority of organs can be donated and the main ones are: heart, kidneys, lung, liver, pancreas, skin, bones, corneas, blood It is bone marrow.
3 — Organ donation from a living donor leaves the body deformed
É myth! When donation can occur with a living donor, the organs and tissues are removed through surgeries and does not disfigure the donor's body.
4 — The deceased donor's family must bear all costs of the donation
É myth! The family or the donor does not have to assume any cost related to the donation.
5 — Elderly people or people who have had a disease cannot donate organs
É myth! Anyone is a potential donor and what will determine the possibility of organ donation is the evaluation after the death brain through tests.
6 — The deceased donor's family cannot choose who will receive the donated organs and tissues
É true! Donations made after death are made to people who are on the single transplant waiting list.
However, when the donation is made in life, the donor can choose to whom his organ will be donated, as long as it is a relative of up to the fourth degree or the spouse.
To donate in life to people beyond these degrees of kinship, it is necessary to have a judicial authorization.
7 — Instead of donating organs, it is possible to sell them to people in need
É myth! Neither the donor nor the donor's family can obtain financial gain in exchange for the donated organs or tissues.
In Brazil, the purchase and sale of organs is prohibited by Law No. 9,434, which was enacted on February 4, 1997.
The penalty is imprisonment for 3 to 8 years and a fine of 200 to 360 fine days. In addition to the seller and buyer of organs, this law also penalizes those who intermediate, facilitate and promote the sale of organs and tissues.
8 — People with greater purchasing power have preference in the transplant queue
É myth! Brazil has a unique waiting list for organ transplants, in which the patient's position is determined by the urgency and waiting time for the organ.
The financial condition does not benefit any patient waiting for an organ transplant.
9 — People who die without identification immediately become organ donors
É myth! According to the same law that prohibited the organ trade (Law No. 9,434 of 02/04/1997), the removal of organs from people who have died and do not have any identification or family members is prohibited.
10 — Even with brain death, a patient can come back to life
É myth! The person who is diagnosed with brain death has an irreversible condition with absence of brain reflexes.
Brain death is attested by two different physicians, following the strict criteria of the Federal Council of Medicine, through two clinical examinations and a graphic test.
This type of death makes it possible to donate multiple organs and, it is worth emphasizing, a single patient can save the lives of 10 other people!
See too:
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