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It is common knowledge that an organ transplant can save a life. What is not commonly known is that circumstances surrounding a person’s death often prevent their tissues and organs from being used for transplant donation. However, organs and tissues donated for research and education can positively affect millions of lives.

A person willing to donate to help others should consider both transplant donation AND whole body donation. If one of these options is not possible at the time of death, the other may be carried out to fulfill the donor's wish to help others.

Researchers today use both normal and diseased organs and tissues for study. Donated organs in research affect countless patients benefiting from the medical advancements that result from these studies.

Some examples of how MedCure donors are helping...

Heart

The heart is one of the critical organs necessary to maintaining life, as it pumps oxygenated blood to feed the body’s biological functions. Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States.

Researchers use donated hearts to gain insight into the causes of heart disease and heart failure. They also study to understand how certain drugs affect the heart muscle, and test to predict the side effects of new drugs before they hit the market. Development, teaching and practice of new and innovative heart and circulatory system surgeries rely on donated organs for study.

Uterus

Surgical procedures that once required large incisions can now be performed through tiny incisions or no incisions at all. Minimally invasive gynecological surgery is now an option for many patients. Patients undergoing minimally invasive procedures spend less time in the hospital, experience a faster recovery, and have less pain and scarring. Surgeons are able to study and practice surgical dissection as it relates to the pelvic floor, gynecological and anti-incontinence surgeries using body donors.

Liver

The liver plays a major role in metabolism, decomposition of red blood cells, plasma protein synthesis, and detoxification. It also performs and regulates a wide variety of high-volume biochemical reactions requiring specialized tissues.

Studying liver tissue reaction to new drugs, drug interactions and potential environmental toxins are aided by the use of donated liver tissue.

Intestine

Most food products are absorbed in the small intestine. The large intestine is responsible for absorption of water and excretion of solid waste material. Most drugs also enter the body via the intestines.

Researchers use donated intestinal tissue to study the breakdown, safety and activity of drugs or toxins in the intestinal tract. They also learn about how much and in what form drugs and other substances entering the intestines penetrate the bloodstream. Such testing can screen out potentially serious side effects of new medications being tested.

Prostate

1 out of 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. While 1 in 35 will die from prostate cancer, those that live will often have ongoing complications or secondary problems that arise out of the surgical removal of the cancer. Because of the location of the prostate, surgery procedures can affect urinary continence erectile and ejaculation dysfunction.

Musculoskeletal tissue and anatomical specimens

Medical and surgical research and development rely heavily on donated tissues. Creating and perfecting surgical instruments, surgical procedures, studying bone structures, soft tissue structures and teaching anatomy to medical students are some of the many benefits donors bring to the medical community.