What is donated and who can donate?

Doctors transplant vital organs such as the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas and intestines. Tissues such as the cornea, heart valves, blood vessels, skin and bones can also be donated.

Age is no barrier to organ donation. In principle, any person can become an organ donor. The medical status of the organs is more important than the donor’s date of birth.

In each individual case, specialised doctors check in detail whether organ donation is possible. They assess each organ individually. The lungs of a smoker may not be suitable for donation. Their heart, liver and kidneys, however, may be healthy.

Even pre-existing medical conditions do not automatically preclude organ donation. Only serious infections or active cancers preclude organ donation to protect the recipient.

For transplantation to be successful, doctors consider which donated organs will suit which recipient. Nevertheless, the recipient’s immune system will always respond to the donated organ as a foreign object. Modern medications help with this. They prevent the body from rejecting the new organ in most cases. Today, transplanted organs often function reliably for many years.