Each year, tens of thousands of people die from accidental head trauma, gunshot wounds to the head, strokes or other conditions such as heart attacks, which result in prolonged oxygen loss to the brain. When all lifesaving efforts have failed, brain death has been determined and the body is still on the respirator, hospitals notify the region's organ procurement organization.
Officials seek permission for donation from the family.
The family is not charged for the surgery. In cases of unnatural or unexplained deaths, permission also is needed from the medical examiner or coroner. When consent is given, a transplant team is notified. A potential donor's medical and social history is reviewed. Organ donation surgery takes from one to four hours or longer, and is similar to gallbladder or appendix removal.