Wednesday, April 11, 2012

A precious gift for the giving

A little over 2.7 million New Yorkers are registered organ donors. That sounds like a lot, but it is only 18 percent of potential donors and is dramatically lower than the 42 percent U.S. average.

At 48th in the nation, New York ranks close to the bottom in registered organ donors.

"It is well below where we should be," said Sue Kelly, executive deputy commissioner of the state Department of Health.

On Tuesday, state officials from DOH and the Department of Motor Vehicles announced that New Yorkers can now register as organ donors on the DMV website. The process is completely online and does not require residents to print or mail anything.

Since 95 percent of all donors register through the DMV, officials hope the new online system will increase participation. More than 10,000 New Yorkers are waiting for an organ transplant.

Albany Medical Center, the region's trauma center, is the area's largest source of organ donors, but the number is not as high as you would think.

Only 1 percent to 3 percent of deaths at Albany Med qualify for organ donation. By necessity, most donations come after a patient suffers brain death because the patient is considered deceased but their organs are still functioning. Surprisingly, most get to that point from strokes, aneurysms or heart attacks. The share of organ donors from traffic accidents is shrinking because of the use of helmets and seat belts.

Most donors are in their 50s, 60s and 70s, but Albany Med has also had organ donors in their 80s.

Once a patient is declared brain dead, counselors from The Center for Donation and Transplant ask families if they are willing to give up their loved one's body for organ and tissue donation. At Albany Med, the center has a 71 percent success rate in convincing families to donate.

The result is about 15 organ donors a year.

"I am constantly awed by how strong families are in those types of situations," said Lauren Quinn, director of hospital and community services with CDT.

"They are donating to people they don't know and they may never know, and we are asking them to do it at a time that they suffering severe emotional shock, loss and grief. It's humbling."

Still, the number of donors is low. So a team of nurses at the hospital has started an effort to improve the donation process and increase the number of donors.

Nine ICU nurses have volunteered to support families that have made the decision to donate. They stay with the patient, and help families understand the process, which involves keeping the deceased patient's body functioning until the organs are collected.

"We try to make it so everybody has said their goodbyes and has no regrets," said Joshua Malone, a nurse in the medical ICU.

They have provided molds of patients' hands, locks of hair and arranged visits from family pets.

Many families leave the hospital, but Danielle Ruella, a nurse in the neurosciences ICU, has shared her cellphone number with families so they can stay up to date as the transplant process unfolds.

"They are at peace with it," Ruella said of the families.

The team also has run registration drives that signed up 152 new potential donors. On Friday, they are hosting a movie night to celebrate Donate Life Month.

One Albany Med nurse, Gina Picarillo, knows firsthand about organ donation. Diagnosed with chronic kidney disease eight years ago, Picarillo, an assistant manager of the float pool, went on the transplant list in 2009. She received a kidney on Oct. 15 and said she feels healthier than ever.

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