 
Group Therapy for
The Alpha-1 Patients and Family
"The Organ Matching Process"
(Waiting Time Factors)
The organization that plays an important part oft the “Organ Matching Process” is called the organ procurement organization (OPO). It is the OPO coordinator who works along with the help of the hospital staff to keep the donors medical condition in the best condition until the organs are recovered. They are the ones who identify the appropriate transplant recipients and arrange for the surgery.
There are nine steps in the organ matching process:
- The hospital notifies the OPO coordinator that a potential organ donor (whose brain death is imminent.)
- The OPO coordinator evaluates the potential donor.
- Consent for donation must be obtained (this is usually the closet living relative).
- Information is entered into the UNOS computer about the donor.
- This will generate a list of potential recipients who are on the waiting list.
- The OPO coordinator notifies the potential recipient's hospital of the donor organ.
- The transplant surgeon considers the organ for his/her patient.
- The surgeon decides whether are not to accept or deny the organ for his patient.
- If accepted, the candid is notified that an organ has become available.
If the organ is turned down by the first surgeon it is then offered to the next person on the list. You might ask why the surgeon would turn down an organ that matched you. There are several reasons, but probably the most important is the condition that you are in health wise. What are the characteristics of the organ are right for you? Ask your surgeon.
(Brain Dead)
There are two ways to pronounce a person dead – the heart stops beating (cardiac death) or when the brain stops functioning (brain death). Brain death means that blood with the oxygen that it carries stops going to the brain. The heart may still be beating and carrying oxygen to the rest of the body or he or she is on a ventilator (breathing machine). In brain death, the organs and tissues remain viable (healthy) and can be transplanted. Ethically, the organs and tissue can only be removed after brain death has been declared by a physician who is not part of the transplant team. In certain situations, organs can be recovered for transplantation after cardiac death (when the person's breathing and heartbeat have stopped.
(Organ Matching Process)
Organ donation and transplantation require the support of many people.
- The person whose organs maybe transplant prior to death has expressed a desire to be an organ donor-signed a donor organ card or by joining the organ donor registry; or their next of kin consented to donate the organs.
- The procurement team consist of – the surgeons that remove the organ and transplant the organs - the perioperative staff and the OPO personnel.
- The UNOS Oran Placement Specialist (OPS). OPS are given the following information blood type, age, size, and hospital at time of death. This information is entered into the UNOS computer and runs a match with waiting list. The computer produces a list of potential recipients, in order of priority.
- The transplant team is the people care for the individual during and after the transplant. They include transplant coordinator, financial coordinator, social worker, transplant physician and transplant surgeon.
- The transplant candidate is the individual who has been identified as medically suited to benefit from an organ transplant and has been placed on the waiting list by their transplant program.
- The transplant recipient is the transplant candidate who has been ranked by the OPTN computer match program as the person to whom an organ from a specific deceased organ donor is to be offered.
(Organ Sharing)
The OPTN database computer program has thousands of names on its national waiting list. At the time an organ becomes available the data base will search for potential matches to the donor organ. These characteristics include size and blood type. The primary factor that can affect allocation or length of time a potential recipient has been on the waiting list and the geographic location of the organ in relation to the recipient.
Livers are allocated according to the recipient's MELD (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease) or PELD (Pediatric End-Stage Liver Disease) score and their geographic location. The score represents a patient's risk of dying in three (3) months. Your transplant team can answer more specific questions about the scoring methods. Patient's scores are updated on a regular basis to reflect the candidate's current medical condition.
Lungs are allocated using the Lung Allocation Score, which is a numerical scale ranging from 0 (less ill) to 100 (gravely ill) that is used from candidates 12 and above. It gives each candidate a score based on medical urgency before transplant and chance of success after transplant. The number is estimated using lab values, test results, and disease diagnosis. Patients medical information must be updated every six (6) months.
(Other Factors that Affect Waiting Times)
Each patient's situation is unique. Some patient's medical conditions are far more life threatening or are advancing more rapidly than others.
Factors that might affect a transplant candidates waiting time include the following:
- Blood Type.
- Tissue Type.
- Height and weight of the transplant candidate.
- Size of the donated organ.
- Medical urgency.
- Distance between donor and recipient.
- The number of donors in the local area.
- The number of families are offered the opportunity to donate a loved one's organs and whether or not they consented.
- The transplant program's criteria for accepting organ offers.
Finally depending on the kind of organ you need, some factors play a more important role than others. Check with you transplant team and the OPO that serves your area.
Disclaimer: The information presented on Ask Pat is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice or to replace your relationship with a physician. For all medical concerns, you should always consult your doctor.
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