Services

Our Health Care Professionals

Lifeline of Ohio's professional staff includes procurement coordinators who may be registered nurses with critical care experience and perfusionists who are specialists at organ preservation and tissue recovery. These staff members are available round-the-clock to facilitate organ and tissue donation. We follow all federal guidelines for organ sharing as outlined by the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network (OPTN). We also recover tissues for transplantation from medically suitable donors.

Lifeline of Ohio provides:

1. Evaluation: A procurement coordinator is available round-the-clock to evaluate medical suitability for each potential organ or tissue donor. This screening takes places when the hospital contacts Lifeline of Ohio (LOOP) in accordance with the routine-notification protocol.

2. Consent: Lifeline of Ohio obtains consent as prescribed by Ohio Law and all industry standards. Hospitals are required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to report all deaths to Lifeline of Ohio in order to screen for potential donation. In the event that the patient is a candidate for organ or tissue donation, Lifeline of Ohio obtains the decedent's wish to donate when available and works with the family so that they may support their loved one's decision.

3. Management: Once brain death has been declared and documented, the procurement coordinator is responsible for the medical management of the donor and writing orders to optimize the viability of each organ, under the direction of the donor surgeon.

4. Surgical Recovery:The procurement coordinator arranges for the appropriate incoming surgical teams to recover the donated organs and tissues. Cosmetic reconstruction of the donor is completed following surgery.

5. Preservation: Trained perfusionists are provided to ensure that all organs and tissues are preserved and stored properly until transplantation.

6. Financial Aspects: Once death has been declared and consent is secured, all costs associated with organ and tissue donation will be assumed by Lifeline of Ohio.

7. Quality Assurance: All required immunological testing recommended by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) and the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB) are performed. A thorough medical history, blood cultures and tissue cultures are obtained on all organ and tissue donors. In addition, an autopsy may be necessary if the circumstances surrounding the death warrant further explanation.

8. Professional Education: Educational programs are available to medical, administrative, nursing, pastoral-care, social-worker, and other hospital staff to increase awareness and knowledge about organ and tissue donation. Lifeline of Ohio is an approved provider of nursing continuing education CE's through the Ohio Nurses Association. We also sponsor specialized educational offerings, such as Designated Requestor training (in collaboration with other recovery agencies in Central Ohio).

9. Community Education: Lifeline of Ohio is dedicated to increasing the community's awareness of the drastic need for organ and tissue donation. By working in partnership with schools, businesses, religious leaders, BMV staff, and other individuals committed to the cause, we can educate the community about the "Gift of Life." Lifeline of Ohio staff and volunteers provide free speakers, displays, and information for community programs, events, and health fairs.

10. Community Relations: Throughout the year, Lifeline of Ohio sponsors a combination of special events, broadcast and print interviews, and community campaigns in an effort to promote public awareness about organ and tissue donation.