HEALTH CARE Home About Us News Archive Contact Anddrugs

7/7/2016 Healthcare and Drugs – a journal with a cause

username •••••••• HEALTH CARE Home About Us News Archive Contact andDRUGS

CONTENTS Organ Donation A Noble Plastic ban: Decision yet not taken Donation For Humanity

ICMR Proposal on NCD PALLAVI KUMAR Interview with Dr. DC Katoch Executive director, Mohan foundation Tobacco Smoking:Addiction & Treatment Don’t take your organs to heaven. Heaven Interview with Dr. Shridhar Dwivedi knows we need them here. This popular quote by an unknown author Organ Donation: A Noble Donation For sufficiently sums up the current scenario in Humanity the country. A huge gap exists between Learning With Healthcare And Drugs patients who need organ transplants and About Clinical Studies potential donors. It's not that there cannot be enough organs to transplant. Nearly Learning With Healthcare And Drugs every person who dies naturally or has a Women and their Problems brain death is a potential donor. Even so, innumerable patients cannot find a donor. Electronic Cigarettes Acute shortage of organs is a universal problem – more so in developing Asian countries like A Noble Effort Waiting To Progress India. According to the Union Health Ministry statistics for 2011, only 4000 kidney transplants Prostate Disorders: A Rising Phenomenon were carried out as against 1, 50,000 required. Similarly 500 livers were transplanted leaving some 20,000 in waiting. Ayurvedic Medicine The deceased organ donation rate in India is estimated to be a minuscule 0.26 per million Quest of becoming fit and fine in winter people (although India has among the world's highest number of deaths from road accidents). Fate of Online Drug Sale rests with DCC Spain had the highest number of donors for many years with a donation rate of 35 donors per million people but more recently a small country like Croatia has taken lead with a donation The Pharmacovigilance Program of India rate of 36.5 per million people. Australia is at 15.1 while it's 25 per million in the United States.

1 in every 4 people screened in Delhi for To make transplants possible in India and thus alleviate the suffering of many patients, the ear infection Government of India in 1994 passed an Act called “Transplantation of Human Organs Act”. The Issues considered by DTAB new act broadens the concept of organ donation to include other organs besides eyes. The universal DONOR CARD is the first step in this regard and your signing the card can save many lives. This universal card expresses one’s desire to donate any or all organs.

So, what is Organ donation?

Organ Donation is gifting someone a life! It means that you pledge during your lifetime that after your death, healthy organs from your body will be given to a patient who is in need of that organ and is under severe discomfort or battling for life due to organ failure.

Why donate organs?

After your life time, wouldn’t it make you happy to know that you can give a new lease of life to other people? A single “yes” can save up to 9 lives. People who are waiting to receive a transplant undergo very exhausting, painful and expensive procedures to just live. For most of them the quality of life is pathetic, with death looming large, and a long lonely wait to get a transplant. Many die waiting for organs. This noble act of donation gives us a chance to continue living, through the lives of these people previously unknown to us. Types of organ transplant donations: Organ donation is of two types – from a living donor or from a donor who is deceased Living Donor Transplant – As per the Transplantation of Human Organ Act, 1994, only immediate blood relatives (brother, sister, parents, grandparents, children and the spouse) can donate. Living donor can donate only few organs – one kidney, portion of pancreas and part of the liver. Even an unrelated person can donate, but he/she will undergo extensive questioning before a government authorized committee to ascertain that the person is aware of the risks and that the decision to donate isn’t based on financial gain. Deceased Donor Transplant – This is when organs from a brain dead individual are transplanted into the body of a living recipient. The deceased individual in this scenario can only be a victim of brain death. This kind of transplant initially requires the recipient to wait on a list until a suitable organ is available based on the recipient’s medical profile.

Which organs can be donated?

Different organs, such as heart, liver, kidneys and tissues, such as corneas and bone marrow, can now be successfully transplanted into patients, who can expect to survive for years or even decades. The different organs that can be transplanted depend on the type of organ transplant i.e. whether the donor is alive or deceased. On one hand, living donors may donate a very limited number of organs and biological tissue. This list usually consists of one kidney (because one kidney is capable of http://www.healthcareanddrugs.com/fullstory.php?month=sept&storyno=6 1/3 7/7/2016 Healthcare and Drugs – a journal with a cause

performing bodily functions), a part of pancreas (because half of the pancreas is adequate to sustain pancreatic functions) and a part of liver (because the few segments that can be donated will regenerate after a period of time). On the other hand, transplants with deceased donors (who are brain dead) can be of the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, pancreas, as well as tissues, like the cornea and bone marrow. Eye Donation Eye donation means donating the eyes of a person after death for transplantation with family consent. When donating the eyes of the deceased, remember: Dial the nearest Eye Bank (or 1919) within 6 hours of the death Switch off the fans and keep the air conditioner or cooler on Raise the head of the deceased person with a pillow Place wet cotton swabs on closed eyes Eye donation can take place in the donor’s home itself. Total procedure takes 1520 minutes. There is no disfigurement of the face of the donor.

What is brain death?

In case of a natural death only the eyes and a few other tissues can be donated. All other vital organs can be donated only in the case of ‘brain death’. A Brain Death results from a severe, irreversible injury to the brain or haemorrhage which causes all the brain activity to stop. All areas of the brain are damaged and no longer function due to which a person cannot sustain his/her own life, but vital body functions may be maintained by an artificial support system. This maintains circulation to vital organs long enough to facilitate organ donation. Common causes of brain death are: Road Traffic Accidents (RTA) Stroke Brain hemorrhage Brain tumor About 60% of deaths in RTA are brain deaths The Transplant of Human Organ Act 1994 recognises this as a form of death and allows retrieval of vital organs if the immediate family gives consent. Brain death is not easy to recognize? It is true that patients who are brain dead do not look dead. Their hearts are beating, they look normal, and they even sweat. One of the reasons, why it is hard to convince relatives to donate organs after brain death, is because they see their loved one’s heart still beating (on the ECG monitor) and cannot accept that they are dead. The fact is that the heart beats with the assistance from extensive life support machines and medicines. The criteria for brain death have been accepted all over the world since 1968 and it has been legalised in India since 1994. Brain death is indicated if eight criteria are fulfilled, notable ones being: • They cannot breathe without the assistance of a ventilator. Within minutes of stopping the ventilator, heart will stop beating. • They have no response to pain • Their pupils do not react to light • Basic brain reflexes do not work In India the rules for brain death declaration are the most stringent in the world. Four different physicians will independently perform eight sets of tests to confirm brain death. Donation after brain death is called cadaveric donation or deceased donor donation.

What is the difference between brain death and coma?

Coma is a state of deep unconsciousness, where the brain continues to function and the person can breathe on his own, without the help of a ventilator. Brain activities can be seen through various tests. Thus, the brain still has the capacity to heal and the person can come out of a state of coma. Brain Death results from such severe injury (like in a road accident or stroke) that the damage is permanent and all functions of the brain stop totally. Brain Death is Death. It is important to understand this difference, as organ donation cannot take place from patients in coma. I have always understood that when an individual dies, the heart stops beating. Since my loved one’s heart is beating, is he still alive? The heart has its own pacemaker independent of the brain. As long as it has oxygen, it continues to beat. The heart could actually be removed from the body, placed in a saline solution, given oxygen, and still continue to beat for a few minutes! This is like a lizard’s tail, which can continue to wriggle even after it is cut off. But remember, this is only for a short time. Eventually, the heart will stop, despite being on maximum life support machines.

Who will get the organs?

The recipient has to be on state waiting list for receiving organs. Organs are matched to recipients on the basis of medical suitability, urgency of transplantation during the waiting list and geographical location. Organs cannot be brought or sold anywhere in India or the rest of the world.

Who can be an organ donor?

People of all ages and background can be organ donors. If you are under age 18, your parent or guardian must give you permission to become a donor. If you are 18 or older http://www.healthcareanddrugs.com/fullstory.php?month=sept&storyno=6 2/3 7/7/2016 Healthcare and Drugs – a journal with a cause

you can show you want to be a donor by signing a donor card. You should also let your family know your wishes.

What does the law say about organ donation?

In July 1994, The Government of India passed a legislation called The Transplantation of Human Organs Act (THO Act of 1994). The purpose of this act was essentially threefold: 1. To stop commercial dealing in organs especially Kidneys. 2. Accepting Brain death as a definition of death. 3. Define who could donate organs whether in live related, live unrelated or cadaver donation. Let us briefly examine what has been achieved in the last 15 years in India. The 1500 odd cadaver organ transplants have shown that we in India are capable of organizing the chain of events that lead to cadaver transplants. Brain death certification is now widely accepted by clinicians and the protocols to certify it have been uniformly accepted as laid down by the government. Some hospitals are now regularly doing such transplants and in this respect Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra have made some commendable efforts. It is possible to not only do kidneys transplants but our doctors are skilled enough to do complex transplants such as liver, heart, lungs and pancreas transplants.

How can you be an Organ Donor?

You can be an organ donor by signing a ‘Donor Card’ from any hospital or an NGO. A donor card is not a legal document; it is only an expression of your willingness. If a person has a donor card, it means that he/she is willing to donate organs upon death. Remember that in our country even if you have signed the donor card, it is important to bring your family in consensus with your wish, as their decision will be considered final.

What can you do?

Pledge your organs to be donated after your death. Carry a donor card with you at all times Discuss your decision with your family members so that it will be easier for them to carry out your wishes.

Natio Ageless Illuminating Primer

Rs.1,100

http://www.healthcareanddrugs.com/fullstory.php?month=sept&storyno=6 3/3