Transplants of tissues such as cornea, skin, veins, bone and heart valves are performed to treat a wide range of medical problems. Minimal criteria for tissue donation is 0 to 75 years of age. Brain death is not required. Minimal criteria for organ donation is 0 to 75 years of age. The patient must also be brain dead.
Brain death is the permanent and irreversible loss of all brain functions.
The patient's body and organs are kept artificially functioning with the assistance of a respirator. Patients are declared legally dead after multiple and extensive evaluations by an independent team of non-transplant physicians. Organ or tissue donation does not stop an open casket funeral from occurring, and families incur no additional cost for donation. The type and number of organs or tissues to be donated may be specified. A single donor's organs could save the lives of as many as eight individuals who would otherwise die from heart or kidney failure or liver, lung, pancreatic or intestinal diseases.