Editing Organ donation (section)

==Process in the United States==
{{main|Uniform Anatomical Gift Act}}
Organ donors are usually dead at the time of donation, but may be living. For living donors, organ donation typically involves extensive testing before the donation, including psychological evaluation to determine whether the would-be donor understands and consents to the donation. On the day of the donation, the donor and the recipient arrive at the hospital, just like they would for any other [[major surgery]].<ref name=old/>

For dead donors, the process begins with verifying that the person is undoubtedly deceased, determining whether any organs could be donated, and obtaining consent for the donation of any usable organs. Normally, nothing is done until the person has already died, although if death is inevitable, it is possible to check for consent and to do some simple medical tests shortly beforehand, to help find a matching recipient.<ref name=old/>

The verification of death is normally done by a [[neurologist]] (a physician specializing in brain function) that is not involved in the previous attempts to save the patient's life. This physician has nothing to do with the transplantation process.<ref name=old>{{Cite web|url=http://www.livescience.com/36240-donate-organs.html|title=Can You Be Too Old to Donate Organs?|website=[[Live Science]]|date=May 30, 2013|access-date=August 6, 2016}}</ref> Verification of death is often done multiple times, to prevent doctors from overlooking any remaining sign of life, however small.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url=http://www.organdonor.gov/about/organdonationprocess.html|title=Organ Donation: The Process|publisher=U.S. Department of Health and Human Services|access-date=July 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160727234930/http://www.organdonor.gov/about/organdonationprocess.html|archive-date=July 27, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> After death, the hospital may keep the body on a [[Mechanical ventilation|mechanical ventilator]] and use other methods to keep the organs in good condition.<ref name=":4"/> The donor's estate and their families are not charged for any expenses related to the donation.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Walton-Moss |first1=Benita |last2=Taylor |first2=Laura |last3=Nolan |first3=Marie |title=Ethical analysis of living organ donation |journal=Progress in Transplantation |date=September 2005 |volume=15 |issue=S3 |pages=303–309 |doi=10.1177/152692480501500318|pmid=16252641 |pmc=8976442 }}</ref>

The surgical process depends upon which organs are being donated. The body is normally restored to as normal an appearance as possible, so that the family can proceed with funeral rites and either cremation or burial.

The lungs are highly vulnerable to injury and thus the most difficult to preserve, with only 15–25% of donated organs used.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Keshavamurthy |first1=Suresh |last2=Rodgers-Fischl |first2=Peter |title=Donation after circulatory death (DCD)—lung procurement |journal=Indian Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery |date=September 2021 |volume=37 |issue=S3 |pages=425–432 |doi=10.1007/s12055-021-01156-7 |pmid=33821109 |pmc=8012413 }}</ref>