Current Events > Opioid crisis has one positive impact. More organs available for donation.

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/opioid-crisis-makes-more-organs-available-n874761

Americas opioid epidemic has one sad upside: more organs available for lifesaving transplants, researchers reported Wednesday.

Close to 14 percent of people who donated an organ in 2016 had died of a drug overdose, the team of experts reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. That compares to just 1 percent in 2000.

The numbers still are not large. In 2000, 59 organ donors had died of drug overdoses, compared to 1,029 in 2016.

Organs donated by people who have died of drug overdoses are not dangerous because most traces of the drug are gone by the time the organ is removed, said Dr. Josef Stehlik of the University of Utah, who also signed the letter.

The drugs are metabolized and excreted from the donor body by the time the transplant would take place (in brain-dead donors body functions such as kidney and liver function continue during preparation for transplant), Stehlik said by email.

But the organs are fragile and could have been damaged because of the loss of oxygen or drops in blood pressure, the team said.

Personally, I would like to avoid being given an organ from someone who died of drug overdose even if it is safe. Though it's also important to note that the waiting list for organs is still long and even with this increase due to people ODing is not really making a big dent.
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I didn't realize they could still use them, but I guess they can
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Do you really want opioid-riddled organs?

Hmmm... I guess some people might >__>
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HylianFox posted...

Do you really want opioid-riddled organs?

Hmmm... I guess some people might >__>

I imagine most people prefer having an organ than not having one and given the waiting list for organs you might not be in a position to be picky.
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