Organ and tissue donation

Save lives

The decision to donate your organs and tissue could save and improve the lives of many people.

Almost everyone can donate organs and tissue; while age and medical history will be considered, you shouldn’t assume you are too young, too old, or not healthy enough to become a donor.

Organs that can be transplanted include:

• heart
• lung
• liver
• kidney
• pancreas
• pancreas islet.

Tissues that can be transplanted include:

• heart valves and other heart tissue
• blood veins and arteries
• bone
• tendons
• skin
• part of the eye.

Learn more about what can be donated.

Talk about your wishes with your family

It is important that your loved ones know that you want to be a donor. Whether you’re a registered donor or not, your family will be asked to confirm your wishes before donation can proceed.

According to DonateLife, 9 out of 10 families agree to donation when their loved one is a registered donor. This drops to 4 in 10 if the person did not register and the family is unsure about their wishes.

Have the conversation with your family today.

Read more about the donation process on the DonateLife website.

Register your decision

The Australian Organ Donor Register is a national register that enables people to record their decision to become an organ and tissue donor.

To record your donation decision on the register, you can:

• register on the DonateLife website
• register through your myGov account
• register or update your details via the ExpressPlus Medicare mobile app
• download and complete the Australian Organ Donor Register Form on the Services Australia website.

Organ allocation

Organ allocation is a complex and time-critical process guided by a range of factors such as medical need, urgency, donor/recipient suitability and logistical factors.

Organs such as the heart, lungs, liver and pancreas are matched to recipients by blood group, size, compatibility and urgency.

For Queensland transplant patients and Queensland donors, the Tissue Typing laboratory at Pathology Queensland carries out matching studies.  All Australian states and territories participate in a national matching system called OrganMatch.

OrganMatch is managed by the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood and is the system that manages national wait listing for all organs and determines the most appropriate immunological match for our transplant patients.

Organ transplant waiting lists

In Australia, organ transplant waiting lists are kept for heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, intestine and pancreas.

To be on a waiting list for an organ transplant, patients are referred to a transplant unit for assessment and they must meet eligibility requirements. These eligibility requirements are to ensure equitable, fair and transparent access to transplantation.

Waiting times are subject to the availability of suitable donated organs and the allocation of organs through the transplant waiting lists.

Tissue donation and allocation

In Queensland, donated tissues are collected by Queensland Tissue Bank, part of Queensland Health. The highly skilled team of scientists follow a thorough process to produce tissue ready for transplantation. The tissue is prepared then stored until it is needed for surgery. It can be shipped to any hospital in Australia.

Donated tissue is used in procedures for people with injuries, burns, cancers, visual issues, or heart problems. After blood, bone tissue is the second most transplanted tissue in Australia. Tissues don’t need to be matched as closely between the donor and recipient as organs.

Tissue donation can make a difference to many people:

• One bone/tendon donor can help more than 25 people undergoing bone and joint procedures.
• One eye donor can help improve or restore the sight of up to 4 people.

Need more information?

For more information about organ donation contact DonateLife Queensland on (07) 3176 2350.

For information about tissue donation, contact Queensland Tissue Bank on (07) 3121 2626 or email QLDTissueBank@health.qld.gov.au.