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Tissue donation outside the hospital

Did a patient pass away outside the hospital, such as at home or in a hospice? Then tissue donation may be possible. Check here what you need to do.

1. Consult the Donor Register

Call the Organ Center to consult the Donor Register. This is possible 24 hours a day. A BIG registration is required for the consultation. The (general) practitioner can delegate this authority to a medical professional without a BIG registration, but the responsibility always lies with the (general) practitioner with a BIG registration.

Call the Organ Center (24/7)

071-579 57 95

Information you need to consult the Donor Register

  • (General) practitioner: BIG registration number, name and telephone number.
  • Patient: citizen service number (BSN), gender, initial(s), last name and date of birth.
  • Contact details of (general) practitioner; GP cooperative if applicable.

Consulted? The (general) practitioner continues the procedure.

2. Check contraindications

Tissue donation is possible in many cases. Perhaps the Organ Center has already gone through the main contraindications with you. If not, do so now. The main 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 relatives about this.
  • The procedure is then completed. Always fill out the death certificate forms afterward.

3. Donation conversation

Have you completed the steps above and is tissue donation possible? Then have a donation conversation with next of kin.

Donation conversation

4. Registering a tissue donor

After the donation conversation, you can register a tissue donor with the Organ Centre. To guarantee the quality and safety of the tissue for the recipient, the Organ Centre will ask you a number of questions.

Preparation

  • View the questions in the tissue questionnaire.
  • Gather the information needed to answer the questions.
  • Try to ask the next of kin the questions all at once as much as possible.
  • The Organ Centre will ask for the funeral home. Ask the next of kin if this is already known and look up the telephone number.
  • A proper post-mortem examination of the donor is important prior to registration. View: Checklist of points of attention for post-mortem examination

Call the Organ Centre to register a tissue donor

  • A tissue donor can be registered 24 hours a day.
  • The conversation takes 15 to 20 minutes. Have the gathered information at hand.
  • Call the Organ Centre: 071-579 57 95 (24/7).

5. Preparing tissue removal

Tissue removal never takes place at the deceased's home. After death outside the hospital, this is usually done at the funeral home. An exception is the removal of bone and tendon tissue. This must always take place in a hospital operating room because of the sterile environment. In that case, the donor must be transferred 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 room. Tissue removal is then possible up to 24 hours after death. Cooling with only a cooling plate is insufficient. Is cooling not possible within 6 hours? Then it is not always possible anymore to remove (all) tissues. Contact the Organ Centre to discuss the possibilities: 071-579 57 95 (24/7)
  • Elevate the head
    Position the head higher than the abdomen to prevent congestion.
  • Wait with care
  • The retrieval team will first perform examinations and draw blood, and then retrieve 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. A team from WUON (Tissue Retrieval Organization Netherlands) will come to the location for this.

Tissue retrieval

7. Aftercare following donation

Check how you as a professional can provide aftercare and what resources are available.

Aftercare following donation