Locations:
Organ donation means giving your organ — or part of an organ — to someone who needs it to live. Organ transplantation is the surgical process of removing the organ from you and installing it in the person who needs it. This might happen after you’ve died, if you made an agreement when you were alive. But sometimes, you can become a donor while you still live.
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Organ donation and transplantation is a surgical process that replaces a failing organ with a healthy one from somebody else who doesn’t need it. It involves two back-to-back surgeries: one for the donor and one for the recipient. An organ donor is usually somebody who recently died and volunteered to donate their organs while they were alive. But not always. Living donors can also donate certain organs and tissues during their lifetimes.
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Organ transplantation offers a second chance at life to people who have life-threatening diseases or injuries to their vital organs. But the need for organ donations far exceeds the available supply. In the U.S., over 100,000 people are waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant on any given day. But only about 40,000 organ transplants take place in any given year.
Organs that you can donate include your:
Other body tissues that you can donate include your:
Parts that you can donate while you’re still alive include:
Almost everyone is a potential organ or tissue donor. There’s no official age limit, and most people can donate some tissues even if disease has affected other parts. Healthcare providers assess the health of your organs and tissues when they become available. If you want to become a living donor, healthcare providers will assess your overall health to ensure your safety before going ahead.
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To become an organ donor after your death in the U.S., you can register with:
Joining a registry gives your legal consent to donate your organs after your death. It’s also a good idea to talk to your family about your wish to become an organ donor. If you’ve already registered, this helps to prevent unnecessary surprises. If you haven’t yet, it can help your family advocate for your wishes.
You can start the process to become a living organ donor by contacting an organ donation and transplant center near you. If you want to direct your donation to someone you know who needs an organ, contact their transplant hospital. The process will start with a series of screening tests.
You must be:
If you’re pregnant, you can choose to donate gestational tissues after giving birth. These are tissues that your newborn no longer needs once they’ve been born. Surgeons can use these tissues in reconstructive procedures to help repair wounds and burns. You can put your intention to donate into your birth plan.
Gestational tissues include:
Organ donation and transplantation is a complex process. It begins with donation and ends with two surgeries to transplant an organ from one person to another. The steps in between take place within a very short window of time — often within the same day.
The steps include:
Most organ donors have recently died in a way that didn’t damage their organs. Often, they’ve had a traumatic brain injury that caused brainstem death, or they died by sudden cardiac arrest. In these cases, hospitals can preserve their organs after their death through mechanical ventilation. In the U.S., medical specialists from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) evaluate the person’s medical status to determine if they can become an organ donor.
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Many organ donors decide to donate organs before they die. The OPTN maintains a national database of registered organ donors. After confirming an eligible donor, they’ll check their database to see if the potential donor is registered. If they are, OPTN staff will inform the donor’s family of their consent to donate. If they’re not registered, OPTN will consult with the family about the opportunity for donation. The family may choose at this time to donate their organs on their behalf.
The next step is to match donor organs and tissues with the people who need them. This is mostly a computerized process. The OPTN enters information on the donor’s blood type, body size and available organs and tissues into a computer system. The system will find the closest match possible from its database of hopeful recipients. First, it matches organs to potential recipients based on physical factors. Next, it ranks the potential recipients based on their need, and lastly, by their location.
Once a recipient has been identified, their transplant center will receive an electronic notification offering the donor organ. The transplant team will make the final decision on whether to accept the organ for their patient. If they accept, they’ll coordinate with the host Organ Procurement Organization (OPO). They’ll arrange for two operating rooms to be available for the donor and the recipient as soon as possible.
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A specialized surgical team recovers organs and tissues from the donor in a respectful, formal procedure. By federal law, it’s a different medical team from the one that cared for the donor at the end of their life. They’ll leave the donor’s body in fit condition for the funeral procedure of their or their family’s choice. It’s possible to have an open casket funeral after organ donation. The team will preserve the organs in special containers and deliver them to the recipient’s transplant hospital.
The organ recipient will be waiting at their transplant hospital when the donor organ arrives. They’ll have surgery as soon as possible. Organ transplant surgery is complex and can take several hours. Some organs are only viable for six hours after being removed. When the transplant is complete, the OPO follows up with the family and healthcare team of the donor to let them know. The donor’s and recipient’s identities remain anonymous unless they choose to share them.
Organ donation and transplantation saves thousands of lives each year. Other tissue donations help heal and restore quality of life to many more. Donated corneas, tendons and bones can help restore sight, movement and other physical functions to people disabled by injury or disease. One deceased donor can save up to eight lives and heal up to 75 burn and wound victims with their organs and tissues.
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There’s little risk to donating after your death. Living organ donors undertake the general risks of having surgery. There’s also an emotional risk: that your act of service won’t have the outcome you hoped for. Sometimes, organ transplants fail, or the recipient’s body rejects the organ after the transplant. This isn’t common, but it’s possible. Organ transplant rejection is a risk that everyone involved in the process must accept.
Whether you’re a living donor or an organ recipient, it can take two to six months to recover fully from organ transplant surgery. You may need to stay in the hospital for a few days to weeks. And you’ll likely need to take a month or two off from work. You can expect some degree of discomfort and physical limitation during your recovery. If possible, try to arrange for someone to help you out at home.
When you need an organ transplant, the wait can be tense. If you know someone who’s waiting for an organ, you may share their sense of urgency. And you may be able to help — if not the person you know, perhaps another. Every person saved by an organ donation and transplant gives the next person hope — and a chance to move up the list.
When your kidney disease has become unmanageable, a kidney transplant could be the life-saving treatment you need. Cleveland Clinic can help make that happen.
Last reviewed on 05/19/2025.
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