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In May 2005, the Donor Family Council of the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) approved the use of new terminology about donation. The council reasoned that avoiding words and phrases that cause concern among donor families and the general public will increase both understanding and acceptance of the donation process. These terminology updates are unanimously supported by the American Society of Transplantation (AST) and American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS) and have been adopted by the American Journal of Transplantation.
Language plays an important role in the misconceptions and fears about organ and tissue donation. It is important for us to remember to keep the feelings of donor families in mind when we write or talk about donation. As of May 2005, the following terminology was approved by the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) Donor Family Council. Please use:
"Recover" organs or
"Surgical Recovery" of organs |
instead of |
"harvest" or
"harvesting" of organs |
The public at large associates the word “harvest” with crops. The word “recovery” helps people understand that the removal of a loved one’s organs for transplant is a respectable surgical procedure.
"Deceased Donor" or
"Deceased" Donation" |
instead of |
"cadaver" or
"cadaveric" |
Today, as more people choose to become living donors, there is a need to distinguish between living and deceased donors. The term cadaveric depersonalizes the fact that a gift was offered to someone upon an individual’s death. Webster defines cadaver as “dead bodies intended for dissection.” It can be very difficult for donor families to hear their loved one spoken of in this regard.
"Mechanical Support" or
"Ventilated Support" |
instead of |
"Life Support" |
There are two ways to determine death: cardiac death (when the heart stops functioning) and brain death (when the brain stops functioning). The term “life support” proves to be a confusing term when used in conjunction with brain death. When death occurs, there is no support that can make the individual live again. A brain dead individual has been defined as one "who has either (1) irreversible cessation of circulatory and respiratory functions, or (2) irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain, including the brainstem." (Uniform Determination of Death Act, promulgated in 1980) In the presence of brain death, an individual may share the gift of life with others through organ donation. The organs are perfused with oxygen for several hours through “mechanical” support. “Mechanical” or “ventilated support” are appropriate terms for the support given a deceased person in the event of organ donation when brain death is the determination.
| Appropriate Term |
|
Inappropriate Term
|
| "recover" organs |
|
"harvest" organs |
| "recovery" of organs |
|
"harvesting" of organs |
| "donation" of organs |
|
"harvesting" of organs |
|
|
|
| "donation after cardiac death" |
|
"non-heart beating donation" |
| "deteriorating to brain death" |
|
"progressing to brain death" |
| "determine brain death" |
|
"declare brain death" |
| "death" |
|
"legal death" |
|
|
|
| "consent given" |
|
"obtained consent" |
| "consent given" |
|
"got consent" |
|
|
|
| "facilitated a donation" |
|
"did a donor" |
|
|
|
| "mechanical" support |
|
"life" support |
| "ventilator" support |
|
"life" support |
|
|
|
| "donated organs and tissues" |
|
"body parts" |
| "transplanted organs per donor" |
|
"yield" |
|
|
|
| "deceased" donation |
|
"cadaveric" donation |
| "deceased" donation |
|
"cadaver" donation |
| "deceased donor" |
|
"cadaver" (when used in a donation context) |
|
|
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