Tissue donation: information for mortuary staff

When is the donation procedure in the mortuary?

Tissue donation is possible when someone dies outside the ICU. In that case, the donation procedure often takes place in the hospital mortuary. Sometimes in a funeral home, but never at the deceased's home.

This is different for organ donation. This procedure always takes place in a hospital operating room. An organ donor only comes to the mortuary for final care.

Points of attention for tissue retrieval

Wait with moving, dressing, and care until after the donation procedure. For tissue donation, it is important that the retrieval team can examine the deceased first.

Preparing for tissue retrieval

Retrieval of tissues

WUON is the retrieval organization in the Netherlands that handles tissue retrieval after death.

• The retrieval team that retrieves the tissues is available 24 hours a day.
• The retrieval team comes to the hospital mortuary to retrieve tissues. The mortuary staff does not need to do anything for this.
• Before the donation procedure takes place, the retrieval team verifies the identity of the donor. Afterward, the retrieval team examines the body and draws blood.
• The duration of the retrieval varies per tissue.

Is the procedure completed?

Then the recovery team notifies the morgue that they are ready. The recovery team leaves a form behind after donation with information about the procedure.

After the recovery, the tissues go to the tissue banks. Further research takes place here. The tissue bank assesses the quality of the tissues. Once approved, the tissues are processed and stored.

Care and clothing after donation

It is important that the donor looks neat after the tissue recovery. Ask if the family knows what the donor will look like after donation. Sometimes loved ones want to help with the care and dressing. This is only possible after the donation procedure. After skin and bone donation, we advise against letting family help. After the final care, the family decides whether the deceased will be laid out at home or in a funeral center.

Tissue recovery

Donation and autopsy

Tissue donation is best performed before autopsy. Optionally, donation of eye tissue, skin, or bone and tendon tissue can also take place after autopsy. Heart valves and the main body artery can no longer be recovered after an autopsy.

• Is the autopsy scheduled before the donation procedure anyway? Then the recovery team or the Organ Center will ask the pathologist to draw blood from the donor prior to the autopsy.
• Loved ones do not always know the difference between donation and autopsy. Therefore, explain the difference. And tell them that the deceased will stay in the morgue a little longer due to the autopsy.

Reimbursements after tissue recovery

The additional costs incurred by funeral homes and morgues during a tissue donation procedure are covered by the NTS. Loved ones of a donor should never receive a bill for these additional costs.

More about reimbursements