INTEGRIS Health transplant teams typically retrieve their own donated hearts, lungs, kidneys, livers and pancreata bringing them back to Oklahoma for transplantation. Nazih Zuhdi Transplant Institute teams have flown to more than 20 states to retrieve donated organs for transplant. In some instances organ donor institutions well known to our teams are permitted to retrieve organs for the institute and bring them to our Oklahoma City hospital facility.
Donated hearts and lungs are suitable for transplantation only up to four hours after they are retrieved. Donated livers should be transplanted within 12 to 16 hours after removal from the donor. Donated kidneys can be used up to 40 hours after retrieval, but are usually transplanted within 24 hours of retrieval. These short time frames makes the Nazih Zuhdi Transplant Institute's central location in Oklahoma City a valuable asset when receiving organ donations from across the country.
Donor organs are in demand. There are currently more than 127,000 people on the national organ transplant waiting list. If you are interested in becoming an organ donor, sign up at your local Oklahoma tag agency or the Department of Public Safety when you get your driver’s license or Oklahoma ID card. You can also sign up for organ donation online at https://registerme.org/, www.lifeshareregistry.org, or call 800-826-LIFE for an organ donor registration card to be mailed to you.
Over the years, the INTEGRIS Nazih Zuhdi Transplant Institute has received countless stories from donor families and the impact that organ donation has had on their lives. We'd like to share a few of those stories to emphasize the importance of being an organ donor.
You do not have to be a blood relative (such as a sibling or parent) of a living donor to receive a donor organ. A living donor can be someone who is emotionally related to you such as a close friend or spouse, or the donor can even be a stranger. In order to become a living donor, the person must be in good health, physically fit, free from chronic diseases such as diabetes or high blood pressure, free from psychiatric conditions, and between the ages of 18 to 60. Race and gender are not important considerations for becoming a living donor.
Learn More About Becoming a Living Donor
Do something amazing today and call 800-826-LIFE for an organ donor registration card.
In Oklahoma, only 61% are registered to be an organ, tissue, or eye donor.
