Body donation for Medical Schools in Spain are on the up due to British Colony

[parubin]

Interesting piece of news. It seems that the supply of body donation for science purposes in Spain is currently quite high in the Costas, where more than 70% of donations come from British expats.

See here : http://www.rtve.es/noticias/20090515/donacion-cadaveres-ciencia-multiplica-entre-colonia-britanica-alicante/276752.shtml

[Beckett]

Parubin,
In general, how do the Spanish view organ donation and donations of bodies for science? Are Spanish families generally OK with donating a loved one's organs or is there societal/family pressure to leave the body intact after death? Also, do Spanish drivers' licenses have a box for people to check if they wish to be organ donors?

[Culebronchris]

I think that Spain has the highest per capita organ donation rate in the World.

I don't know what the locals feel about donating bodies for scientific research though.

A pal of mine in the UK has left his body to be a crash test body in one of the motor research places. Apparently the dummies don't give sufficient information about some things. He told me, for instance, that it was because of human body testing that they realised that however well bodies are held firm by seat belts and what not the heart swings in the chest cavity it is often simply torn apart in a dead stop crash!

[greytop]

[quote=Culebronchris;76651]I think that Spain has the highest per capita organ donation rate in the World.

..../quote]There's a steady supply of bodies from the roads unfortunately.

I seem to remember reading that there is an assumption here that organs can be taken, rather than in UK where they assume the opposite. So you have to opt out, although I think they would probably bow to strong opposition from the family.

"En el caso de trasplante con donante cadáver, debemos señalar que según la actual legislación española, se considera donante a toda persona que no haya manifestado en vida oposición expresa a la donación, por ello se debe valorar a todo cadáver como posible donante de órganos y tejidos." Ref (http://perso.wanadoo.es/aniorte_nic/trabaj_donac_organ.htm)

[parubin]

Parubin,
In general, how do the Spanish view organ donation and donations of bodies for science? Are Spanish families generally OK with donating a loved one's organs or is there societal/family pressure to leave the body intact after death? Also, do Spanish drivers' licenses have a box for people to check if they wish to be organ donors?

Beckett : what has been said in the previous replies is correct. Spain has been the world leader in terms of organ donation since the 1980's when the Organizacion Nacional de Transplantes (http://www.ont.es/Home?id_nodo=124) was established. In fact what is called the 'Spanish Model' has been thoroughly discussed and described in international scientific literature and has been served as model for transplant procedures in most of the western world.

And as Greytop said, regulation in Spain makes everyone a potential donor unless expressed otherwise (or family opposition) : this progressive regulation has been exported to other European nations and I thinks it's now being taking into discussion in the UK.

If you remenber Pedro Almodovar's oscarized (is this term correct?) film 'All About My Mother' organ donation procedures in Spain are described in the first scenes.

I found it interesting to find out that 70% of 'body donation' for medic schools in Alicante came from British expats. As one of the folks said in the news clip, it was due to a combination of two reasons : an altruistic approach and a more pragmatic and practical way of not having to deal with the international moving of the body and the cost of the whole thing.

Even as I have a possitive view towards organ donation (in line with most of the people of Spain, I'd say) what Culebronchis said about doning one's body to be used as a crash test dummy in car colision researchs goes a little too far for me.

Here's a little more (http://www.soitu.es/soitu/2008/08/27/actualidad/1219825574_948508.html?id=d9a6f8d63f936da5f36e4cd7 9834c51c&tm=1242501989) about donations in Spain if you are interested.

[greytop]

oscarized (is this term correct?)"Oscar winning" sounds better to my ear.

On the body donation, I have a friend who has donated hers to Alicante University for the very reason that it saves her relatives the cost and trouble of a funeral.

[fawlty]

Parubin,
Also, do Spanish drivers' licenses have a box for people to check if they wish to be organ donors?


I am afraid not, but this would be a good idea.

[Berti]

Until reading this interesting thread I was of the opinion that in Spain family consent was needed to allow an organ transplant. I was not clear on the procedure for organ donations for medical research. My opinion based on hear-say from a local family who went through the process during which their permission was required for an organ transplant
I think the deciding factors are that in Spain no permission is needed to “dispose of” the organs taken from a post mortem (I assume for medical research) but permission is required if the organ is to be used for a transplant.
Here are some quotes from the linked articles which may help to clarify the position:

“(Spanish physicians are allowed to remove organs without permission during the postmortem process. They must seek permission to remove organs for transplantation purposes.)”
“Professor Nunez and his colleagues spend hours listening to bereaved relatives and asking them to consider organ donation.

"I remember a case a few years ago when we spent 18 hours talking to the family," says Professor Nunez.
"Of course you're not with them all the time, you let them think and go back an hour or so later.
"We need to be very clear with them about the importance of the decision they're going to make - another life may depend on them saying yes or saying no."

"At the San Carlos hospital the refusal rate for families last year was just 3%, a testament to the skill of the co-ordinators”


"During the early 1990s we had a 30% refusal rate, at the moment it's about 15%," Dr Matesanz says.
"Many countries try to increase organ donation through legislation. But a change to presumed consent doesn't improve the donation rate".

http://www.cmaj.ca/news/29_09_03.shtml (http://www.cmaj.ca/news/29_09_03.shtml)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7183798.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7183798.stm)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7183342.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7183342.stm)

[Pippa]

I think that the last quote in one of the articles from the BBC is interesting

"We know that in 2005, 45 British people died in Spain, 45 families were approached and said yes.

"So while the family refusal rate in the UK is 40%, for British people in Spain it is zero."

Why is that?

[greytop]

There is a section in this site dealing with the subject of organ donation etc for those interested. The other regions probably follow the same rules.

http://www.san.gva.es/cas/ciud/homeciud.html

(In Castellano and Valenciano)

[susanspain]

I am a bit squemish when it comes to the thought of what the med prof will do to a body once donated.

An (Irish) friend told me they had seen a 'holding tank' of such donated bodies in a large teaching hospital (in Madrid) where 'whole and parts of' bodies were stored in a large swimming pool type tank (filled with formaldahyde I guess) - And when a body, or a 'part' was needed for 'research' - it was fished out and used.

I know the flesh and bones is only a 'vessel' for us while we are here on earth, but as I say, I am squemish and not so sure I would want my body in that pool!

:confused: