Starlight4

So you know how on some driver's licenses, you can put an organ donor sticker on there that signifies that you want to donate your organs once you die...

Do you think that hospitals are less likely to save you if you have this sticker? I know it sounds a little silly, but honestly... it kind of makes sense. If you were in a car accident and they COULD go through a lot of trouble to save you but you'd continue your life as a vegetable OR they could let you die and give your organs to people who could live a full life, do you think they'd save you?

Opinions?

the_marq

You might try googling the "hippocratic oath."

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#3 in a series

Astrocloud

I've heard this too. It sounds like paranoid malarky to me though... The doctors who would be saving you will be different doctors than the ones who would be working on the transplant patients.

Can you just imagine a doctor and his kidney transplant patient staring out the window waiting for a car crash or something... They here the sounds of a firetruck and an ambulance out in the distance. The doctor smiles at the patient and says "I think we might be in luck... I'll go down to the emergency room and find out if there's anything we can salvage."

superiorrain

I think this should go into paranoia if you feel that way. There is no way a doctor would give up on you if you had a good chance of recovery, just because you have a donor sticker. Plus once you die they can ask your family if your body parts can be used as donor organs.

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mazagmot

Most doctors, nurses, and EMTs who work in the ER *really* care about saving you. It's why they are where they are. They take take it kind of hard when a patient dies, so I doubt they'll be trying to help you to your demise just to get a couple more organs.

Pip

Whoa. You made me a bit nervous there. I haven't been to the ER that much, but most of the staff do care a lot about your well-being. There was this very rude doctor once though that probably would have stolen my liver if I had been a wee bit more dying... Then again, if I ever get in a "veggie or donor" situation, my family knows I'd rather donate whatever is useful. So, I'm not *too* worried!

jhkayakr

Absolutely not, hospitals have no interest in organ donation. That is usually done by an independent company only after death is certain. Doctors and staff will do all they can to save your life, unless you are terminal with a living will stating "no code".

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thatoneguy

I have to agree with the others that have replied to your post, I honestly don't think that's an issue. A doctor doesn't become a doctor if they're going to do things like that. Also, why would they not care about you and then care enough to try and salvage your organs to save someone else? I think any doctor that has done something like that is the very VERY rare exception to the rule. I would never suspect my doctors of that if I had an accident or something of that nature. I guess you just have to trust that the medical staffs at hospitals will take care of you.

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kid astronaut

do doctors even know whether you're an organ donor when they're doing emergency work on you?

i mean i guess they might be able to find out if you had a long-term illness (although maybe they can't,) but if you get hit by a bus and are dying on their operating table, i don't think most of them are gonna start flipping through your wallet.

meembo

I don't think that doctors or anyone else are ever less likely to use heroic measures to save you, unless you have documentation that clearly and legally says you don't want the heroic measures if you're brain-dead, etc.
Sometimes hospitals do things in different order at the obvious end of a life to keep organs alive and transplantable while determining the status of the above-mentioned conditions, but other than that, their jobs are pretty straightforward.

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Starlight4

I, personally, don't believe in this "myth" but it was just brought to my attention by someone else, and I really enjoy everyone's opinion on here.

yellowchef

most doctors dont know youre an organ donor if you enter into the ER and you arent a patient at the hospital. Even if you are most dont have time to glance at your chart before getting you under the knife because it is an emergency. So they dont know, and they dont care. All of the doctors Ive met truly care about all of their patients and its the biggest reason they're doctors, they care.

Demeter

You're not asked about a family members descision about organ donation until its certain the patient is not going to recover. Usually donors are on life support by then to preserve the body if the body is to be harvested. Whether anyone has the time to check a patients donor status during emergency treatment may be another matter.
Either way, sign your donor card!

0energy0

I thought the organ donor symbol on the license did prevent people from saving you. That is why i didn't sign up for it. I wonder if anyone has that on their license.

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matteo101

0energy0, the organ donor symbol on your lisence does not represent "do not resesitate", it simply means that if you die than they can have your organs.

f6twister

No, ER personnel don't know if you are an organ donor or not when you come in. As a former EMT, I know that we never had time to check a drivers license or ask family members before transporting to the hospital. Honestly, even if the family did tell us ahead of time, we told them that it was their job to discuss it with the ER staff because they have to grant permission.

On that note, I'm not sure about every other state but where I live, even if you put down that you want to be an organ donor, your family has the final say. If you truly want to be an organ donor, make sure you tell your family of your wishes and ask that they follow through should the situation arise.

Back on topic...most ER personnel don't know if someone needs an organ you have, using the same blood type and everything else that needs to match when you come in. This is only checked when the person dies and the issue of organ donation can be addressed with the family.

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squirrelyburt

Cops or EMTS usually are the ones to find an ID, if someone is hurt that bad, its in order to locate and inform family members. The sticker on the license ''voices'' the persons intent, but the actual decision is up to the family members. Talk it over with family, I don't think its not a morbid or emotional issue, let them know what you want, to put it in writing is even better. The way I see organ donation, if I'm that bad off, I won't be needing the peices and parts anymore, if someone else can use them and improve their quality of life...great!!

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sob

The only thing that bothers me is the financial aspect. I knew a person on a transplant team, and he once mentioned (12-15 years ago) that kidneys were $35,000 apiece, and people usually donated two at once. And kidneys are only one of the organs harvested.

So until I find out where that money goes, I'm not going to be a donor. My family could benefit from some of it.

P.S. Did you also know that a great many valuable substances are harvested from the placenta? The law says once it's out of the woman, it belongs to the hospital.

Someone once sued and lost a case of this nature. Again, until I find out who gets that money, I'm not a donor.

Lin

I hope not!

I dont think they would think about whether you were an organ donor until there was no hope for you as a patient and then they may look into what the possibilities are and they would always consult your family , so you need to make sure your family know of your wishes.

betula

I don't think the DRs have any financial stake in harvesting your organs... they do have a stake in being honorable and doing all they can you save you. One instance of not trying your best just to harvest organs can haunt a Dr. for the rest of his/her career. They will try to save your life, and then if they cannot, they will try to save another's life with your organs.

uncle_el

most states require permission from the next of kin/family... i.e. even if you have "organ donor" marked on your license, it really doesn't mean squat. this practice was upheld in texas 3 or 4 years ago, when a person was registered as an organ donor, but the family said no.

in any event, in 2 years in a hospital, i've only seen a driver's license one time, and that was only because the patient had a heart attack in the parking lot while driving, and i was the one to drive his car back to the parking garage. but i digress...

decisions on organ donation are not made my er doctors anyway, as the er is not equipped for such a surgery, nor are they trained for such a decision.

if someone was listed as an organ donor... they sustained a massive head injury... they'd have to be put on life support first... then the family would have to agree to organ donation... then an organ donation service would be called (depends which one depending on the hospital)- the service runs blood work and lab work (trying to screen for h.i.v., hepatitis b, hepatitis c, probably some simple cancer markers)... neurology or internal medicine (depending on the hospital protocol) would be called to ensure no brain function... if all that checked out, then transplant surgery would be called to perform the organ procurement. it's a long process, and though organ donation does occur, it's not as common as one would think.

just the opinion of one medical student...

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Blackthorn

I believe that once you are pronounced dead there are specific limits on what organs can be harvested and it's a fairly small list. If organ harvesting is a main objective then it would still be in their best interest to keep you alive. I'll do a little yahoo-ing to see if I can find more details on this.

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thejoker130

My dad is just a bit paranoid and he flipped shit when he saw that I was an organ donor. Then again so did my best friend at the time and she's more or less stable. Anyway I wouldn't worry much a doctors job is the preservation of life so like invader zim you can hang onto your organs for a while.

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VitaminH

Having experience in hospitals I know they give it their all in trying to save your life. Odds are they aren't going to be checking your liscense (which is by the way almost irrelevant since your next of kin must still ok the donation before they 'harvest' you) until you're already a goner. It's devestating to lose a patient in the ER for all staff members there, and no one wants it to happen. Ever.

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snowy

Small thread hijack: If you are an organ donor, MAKE SURE your family/next of kin know and respect your wishes for organ donation. They are the only guarantee your organs will be passed on to those in need.

I think it's preposterous to believe that a doctor would do any less than their best to give me the care necessary for my condition, whatever that may be. That said, most of my contact with ER doctors has been because someone else has been in the ER. The last time I went to the ER I dealt with a PA who had done ten years in the Navy in the sub service...yeah, that was an interesting experience. Given that he had to lance a cyst on my tailbone, it's probably good he had a sense of humor.

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Blackthorn

Quotes from the US HHS web site regarding organ/tissue donation.

Linkage: Myths & Facts

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sob

I suspect this refers to the buying and selling of organs by INDIVIDUALS. Are you saying that no money is transferred for an organ used in a transplant?

Demeter

We donated my husbands organs when he died. (Brain dead from stroke.). From what I recall, just off the top of my head, they can use the heart, liver, kidneys, lungs, pancreas(or parts thereof), eye or eye tissues, skin for grafts for burn patients, bone for rebuilding cancer/accident patients, and so forth. There is a rather huge list.
Somewhere there is grandpa walking around with a heart that belonged to a man I love. I find that really comforting, but the recipients family probably finds it even more comforting still.

n0nsensical

What about the possibility that an alcoholic might get my liver or something like that? I would only want to give my organs to people who need them through no fault of their own.

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