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What if a coroner is involved? Organ donation

A coroner is an independent judicial office holder, appointed by a local council. Coroners It can be difficult to even think about organ donation when you are in a situation
usually have a legal background but will also be familiar with medical terminology. where you are overwhelmed by different feelings and also daunted by the
practicalities that death involves. However, if the deceased’s or the nearest relatives
Coroners investigate deaths that have been reported to them if it appears that: wish was to donate organs for transplant or even the whole body for medical
 The death was violent or unnatural research, you will have to act quickly.
 The cause of death is unknown, or If the next of kin does not object to organ donation and the death occurred in hospital, then
 The person died in prison, police custody, or another type of state detention. the head of the institution will be lawfully in possession of the body and they may honour the
deceased’s request in writing or orally to two witnesses, for the body to be given for
In these cases coroners must investigate to find out, for the benefit of bereaved people and for medical research. If the death was reported to the Coroner, he / she will have
official records, who has died and how, when, and where they died. to give their consent before the body or organs can be donated. A medical
certificate must be issued before any organs can be removed or the
Post-mortem examination body used. If the donor has been certified to be brain stem dead
and when their breathing, and hence heartbeat, are maintained by
If a coroner decides that an investigation is necessary, a pathologist will normally carry out a post- a ventilator in a hospital intensive care unit, then it is usual for the
mortem examination of the body. The coroner must release the body as soon as possible, after kidneys and essentials for the heart, lungs, liver and pancreas to
which you can arrange the funeral. be removed from donors.

You should let the coroner know in writing if you wish to take the body abroad (including to Organs can be removed within a certain numbers of hours of the death,
Scotland and Northern Ireland). If the post-mortem examination shows the cause of death, the hence the need to consider the organ donation as quickly as possible.
coroner will send a form to the Registrar of Births and Deaths stating the cause of death. You can Please see below time limitations for organ donations
then make an appointment to register the death. after heart death:
 Kidneys - can very rarely be removed up to an hour after heart death.
Inquest  Corneas (from the eyes) - up to 24 hours after death.
 Skin - up to 24 hours after death.
If it was not possible to find out the cause of death from the post-mortem examination, or the  Bone - up to 36 hours after death.
death is found to be unnatural, the coroner has to hold an inquest. An inquest is a public court  Heart valves - up to 72 hours after death.
hearing held by the coroner in order to establish who died and how, when and where the death
occurred. The inquest will be held as soon as possible and normally within 6 months of the death The doctor attending will be able to advise on any
if at all possible. The coroner will let you know if more time is needed and what to expect in your procedure to take place and, after the donation, the
case. body is released back to relatives.

At the end of the inquest

The coroner (or jury where there is one) comes to a conclusion at the end of an inquest. This
includes the legal ‘determination’, which states who died, and where, when and how they died.
The coroner or jury also makes ‘findings’ to allow the cause of death to be registered. The
coroner usually ensures that all questions are answered during the inquest, so the experience is
less stressful for the individuals involved. After an inquest, the death is re register automatically
and the death certificates can be purchased from the Registrar.

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