Tissue donation outside the hospital
Has a patient passed away outside the hospital, such as at home or in a hospice? If so, tissue donation may be possible. See what you need to do here.
1. Consult the Donor Register
Call the Organ Center to consult the Donor Register. This can be done 24 hours a day. A BIG registration is required for the consultation. The (GP) doctor can delegate this authority to a medical professional without a BIG registration, but the responsibility always lies with the (GP) doctor with a BIG registration.
Call the Organ Center (24/7)
Information you need to consult the Donor Register
- (GP) doctor: BIG registration number, name, and telephone number.
- Patient: citizen service number (BSN), gender, initial(s), surname, and date of birth.
- Contact details of (GP) doctor; GP out-of-hours service (HAP) if applicable.
Consulted?The (GP) doctor continues the procedure.
2. Check contraindications
Tissue donation is possible in many cases. Perhaps the Organ Center has already gone through the most important contraindications with you. If not, do so now. The most important ones are:
- A hematological disorder (also in the past) such as leukemia, (non-) Hodgkin, Kahler, myelodysplastic syndrome, and polycythemia vera.
- A degenerative neurological disorder of unknown origin such as all forms of dementia, Parkinson's, MS, and ALS.
- BMI > 40.
Tissue donation not possible?
- Are there contraindications, did someone pass away more than 24 hours ago, or is there a 'No' in the Donor Register? Inform the next of kin about this.
- The procedure is then completed. Always fill in the death forms afterwards.
3. Donation conversation
Have you completed the steps above and is tissue donation possible? Then conduct a donation conversation with the next of kin.
4. Registering a tissue donor
After the donation conversation, you can register a tissue donor with the Organ Center. To guarantee the quality and safety of the tissue for the recipient, the Organ Center will ask you a number of questions.
Preparation
- View the questions in the tissue questionnaire.
- Collect the data needed to answer the questions.
- Try to ask the next of kin the questions all at once as much as possible.
- The Organ Center will ask for the funeral home. Ask the next of kin if this is already known and look up the phone number.
- A proper examination of the donor is important prior to registration. View: Checklist for examination points
Call the Organ Center to register a tissue donor
- A tissue donor can be registered 24 hours a day.
- The conversation takes 15 to 20 minutes. Keep the collected data at hand.
- Call the Organ Center: 071-579 57 95 (24/7).
5. Preparing for tissue retrieval
Tissue retrieval never takes place at the deceased's home. After a death outside the hospital, this is usually done at the funeral home. An exception is the retrieval of bone and tendon tissue. This must always be done in an operating room in a hospital due to the sterile environment. In that case, the donor must be moved to a hospital. The costs for this are reimbursed via the NTS.
Points of attention
- Cool the body within 6 hours
Cool the body within 6 hours of death in a cold storage room. This makes tissue retrieval possible up to 24 hours after death. Cooling with only a cooling plate is insufficient. Is it not possible to cool within 6 hours? Then it is not always possible to retrieve (all) tissues. Contact the Organ Center to discuss the possibilities: 071-579 57 95 (24/7) - Elevate the head
Place the head higher than the abdomen to prevent congestion. - Wait with care
- The retrieval team first performs examinations and draws blood, and then retrieves the tissues. Wait with caring for and dressing the donor until after the retrieval.
- Do not place eye caps
Do not place eye caps and do not use eye spray. Even if they are not an eye tissue donor.
6. Tissue retrieval
After these preparations, tissues can be retrieved. For this, a team from WUON (Tissue Retrieval Organization Netherlands) will come to the location.
7. Aftercare following donation
See how you as a professional can provide aftercare and what resources are available.