Who needs a corpse?
I really dislike the german system for organ donation ... Many different countries of europe have an opt-out system while germany likes its opt-in system.
A lot of people never really think about what happens after their death with their body or if they do consider their options, it is at 80 years of age (a little late I would say). This leads to people never opting into the system → would it not be better if people were automatically in the system and had to think about getting out? Would it not help way more people if we had all the organs instead of them rotting 6 foot under?
Today / in this blog post (dont know how long I will work on this one) I want to take a quick route through the world of organ donation and brain death. I want to first sketch the whole process and what are the rules which have to be followed. I will also try to find and fact-check the myths around organ donation. I am biased as I really believe that the only right way of dying is with a donor card and registered. So hold on to your butts its gonna be a wild ride :)
What happens when I "die"?
So you just got into a car accident. Some idiot ran a red light and crashed into the side of your car. The last thing you were thinking was: "The pizza smells really great!". As the paramedics arrive on scene, you are still in your car with the head lying on the steering while, you are unconscious and don't notice how the firemen drag your body out of the car. As your body gets immobilized the paramedics do a first body check and try to wake you.
- Loudly asking if you are ok, you give no answer.
- Grabing your arm and trying to get any reaction.
- Checking the pupils for light reactions, your pupils dont react at all.
- The paramedics rub their knuckles of your chest to give a pain stimulus, but you are dead and neither feel that nor react to it.
- Checking your vitals, they seem stable and managable.
Because of your GCS score of 3, the just arrived emergency physician starts to intubate you in order to secure your airway and your body will be ventilated from now on. Your body is transportet to the nearest hospital to diagnose why your coma persists. At this point no one is thinking about organ donation as nobody knows what is happening and why you are unconscious.