ORGAN DONATION AND TRANSPLANTATION

I am going to speak this topic because I think it is very interesting and

important so this process can save and improve human lives.
To carry through this topic I consulted different bibliographic references which I
used to perform a work in the past in the university. Furthermore I have helped by
my own knowledge about this topic that I have learned in my training as a nurse.

1. What is the organ donation and transplantation? The

situation in Spain
The process of organ donation and transplantation consists in the extraction of
organs and tissues coming from the body of a person to make a transplant.
Nowadays it is a usual practice.
The process of organ donation and transplantation is carried through by the
National Transplantation Organization in Spain, and it has a global fame because
of the altruistic character of the donation and the equality in the access of the
transplantation.
Accessing to the transplantation in Spain is limited only to Spanish citizens
and foreigners who have legally established their residence in this country.
All Spanish can be donors but we havent expressed the opposite, although
the decision of the family will always be respected at the time of death. There is
also a donor card, which express our wish to donate the organs after our death.
This card hasnt legal validity, so you must inform your wish to donate the organs
to your family. The card reinforces this wish.
You can donate the kidneys, the liver, the heart, the pancreas and the lungs. In
addition, it is also possible to get tissues, such as the bone, the heart valves, the
skin and the corneas.
Spain is the country with the biggest rate of donation in the whole world. The
donations are always altruistic and the process is paid by National Health System
(NHS). The Spanish model of organ donation and transplantation is considered an
example to imitate, and it is being introduced in a lot of countries.
It is important to remember that more donations are needed, because around
10% of recipients die while they are waiting to receive an organ.

2. Types of donor and rules included in the organ distribution

There are two types of donor: the living donor and the cadaver donor.
Regarding to the living donor, he or she must present different requirements,
such as the donor must be an adult and must have a good mental and physical
health, the organ must have a correct functionality, the donor must be informed
about requirements and consequences of his / her decision and the organ must
be intended for a person to improve his / her quality of life.
As to the cadaver donor, it presents some requirements too, such as the
person mustnt have left reflected the denial of donating his / her organs after
his / her death, the death of donor and the extraction of organs must be made in
an authorized center (intensive care unit ICU in a hospital) and the cerebral
death of the cadaver donor must be diagnosed.
There are different rules to distribute the organs and these are medical rules,
not social rules. The medical rules are: emergency, time on waiting list,
expectation of life, territorial rules, compatibility, profits and the length of them
and the tolerance of treatment after the transplantation. This type of rules
promotes the equality for all people, in contrast to the social rules, such as the
age, abilities, social status, social contribution, culture, etc.

3. Does it exist the organ trafficking?

The organ trafficking consists in the process of organ donation and
transplantation with an economic profit and it unfortunately exists. This practice
creates a negative effect because the organ donation and transplantation is an
altruistic process.
Some cases of the organ trafficking are sometimes spread in the media and
they are numerous in India, the Philippines, Egypt and Latin America. The kidney
donation is the most common in the organ trafficking.
The laws established about the process of organ donation and transplantation
prohibit the trafficking of them and the control measures of the National
Organization of Transplantations in Spain have a great importance and fame
regarding to this prohibition.
Only one case of organ trafficking has been detected in Spain and it was
avoided in time. In 2014, a Lebanese rich man needed a part of liver and he
travelled to Spain to get it. The Lebanese man looked for his donor among nine
immigrants who needed the money, because the man promised to give 40.000
euros. The coordinator of transplantations in a hospital in Barcelona stopped this
business so that he discovered that the donor and the recipient werent intimate

or the same family, and it is necessary that it exists this family or intimate
relationship.

4. A different type of transplantation: the xenotransplantation

The xenotransplantation is a transplant from a species to another; on this
occasion, I refer to the transplant of organs and tissues from animals to persons.
This type of transplantation includes different ethical problems and risks for
humans.
At present the animal more suitable for the xenotransplantation is the pig,
because it has some similarities to humans with respect to the size of its organs.
At one time, primates were used for this practice, but it made a lot of problems,
such as the increase of the probability of transmission of germens or the risk of
extinction of these animals. A few examples in xenotransplantation with pigs,
they would be heart valves, pig insulin and pig skin.
Humans accept different risks with respect to the xenotransplantation. First I
refer to the psychological problems, because receptors may feel socially rejected
so the people wont see this person like as other. Its too important the probability
of transmission of infectious agents from animals to humans, because they can
be benign for a species and lethal for another. The receptor must give an
informed consent which confirms that he will take controls after the
xenotransplantation.
As regards to animals, ethical dilemmas more important focus on animals
experiments, raising animals for the xenotransplantation without to they are able
to make their basic needs and the death of them.
This practice is legally permitted in Spain, and for example, a survey made by
Spanish health professionals confirms a great acceptance, because the results tell
that 79% of health professionals have a positive attitude, 19% of them have a
refusal attitude and 2% of health professionals are against.
Nowadays this practice isnt usual because its necessary a biggest study and
more experiments with humans. Until now it have only made a few attempts.