Who receives the donated organs and tissues?

The Transplantation Act (Transplantationsgesetz, TPG) governs the allocation of donated organs in Germany. The independent institution Eurotransplant in Leiden (Netherlands) allocates donor organs in Europe according to medical criteria. The aim is the fair and transparent distribution of the available organs.

In the first place, the suitability of the organs is considered. Organs are then allocated according to urgency and the prospects of successful transplantation.

Doctors assess potential recipients accordingly. Psychological and social factors also play an important role. Transplantation requires lifelong medical care and the reliable cooperation of recipients.

This includes, for example, taking medication regularly and participating in follow-up examinations. Consuming addictive substances such as alcohol, drugs or nicotine are often barriers to receiving a transplant. In many cases, those affected must demonstrate abstinence over a longer period of time. Abstinence means not consuming addictive substances.

Furthermore, medical characteristics such as blood type, body size, weight, age and the properties of body tissues determine the allocation of organs. It is also important that the time between organ removal and transplantation is kept as short as possible because organs can only be kept alive outside the body for a short time.

Donors and recipients remain anonymous. This means that they don’t know each other’s names. Recipients don’t know who the donor is, and the donor’s loved ones don’t know who the recipients are. This way the identity of the parties involved is protected by law in order to prevent a sense of personal obligation from arising. This type of protection ensures mutual respect.

For loved ones, organ donation can offer solace. It often helps them to know that the donated organs have benefitted others who are seriously ill. To facilitate this, the German Organ Procurement Organization (Deutsche Stiftung Organtransplantation, DSO) can pass anonymised thank you letters between the donor’s loved ones and the organ recipients.