Recently similar devices have been developed for the heart and lungs, in an effort to increase distances procurement teams may travel to recover an organ. Suicide
People committing suicide have a higher rate of donating organs than average. One reason is lower negative response or refusal rate by the family and relatives, but the explanation for this remains to be clarified. In addition, donation consent is higher than average from people committing suicide.Attempted suicide is a common cause of brain death (3.8%), mainly among young men. Organ donation is more common in this group compared to other causes of death. Brain death may result in legal death, but still with the heart beating, and with mechanical ventilation all other vital organs may be kept completely alive and functional, providing optimal opportunities for organ transplantation. Controversies
In 2008, California transplant surgeon Hootan Roozrokh was charged with dependent adult abuse for prescribing what prosecutors alleged were excessive doses of morphine and sedatives to hasten the death of a man with adrenal leukodystrophy and irreversible brain damage, in order to procure his organs for transplant. The case brought against Roozrokh was the first criminal case against a transplant surgeon in the US, and resulted in his acquittal. Further, Dr. Roozrokh successfully sued for defamation stemming from the incident.At Californias Emanuel Medical Center, neurologist Narges Pazouki, MD, said an organ-procurement organization representative pressed her to declare a patient brain-dead before the appropriate tests had been done.
Of the 205 hospitals in the DSOs central region—which includes the large cities of Frankfurt and Mainz—only six had more organ donors than LRMC in 2010.Scotland conforms to the Human Tissue Authority Code of Practice, which grants authority to donate organs, instead of consent of the individual. This helps to avoid conflict of implications and contains several requirements. In order to participate in organ donation, one must be listed on the Organ Donor Registry (ODR). If the subject is incapable of providing consent, and is not on the ODR, then an acting representative, such as a legal guardian or family member can give legal consent for organ donation of the subject, along with a presiding witness, according to the Human Tissue Authority Code of Practice. Consent or refusal from a spouse, family member, or relative is necessary for a subject is incapable. Austria participates in the "opt-out" consent process, and have laws that make organ donation the default option at the time of death. In this case, citizens must explicitly "opt out" of organ donation. Yet in countries such as U.S.A. and Germany, people must explicitly "opt in" if they want to donate their organs when they die. In Germany and Switzerland there are Organ Donor Cards available.In May 2017, Ireland began the process of introducing an "opt-out" system for organ donation. Minister for Health, Simon Harris, outlined his expectations to have the Human Tissue Bill passed by the end of 2017.