Smoking can be a major contributor to heart disease. In fact, one study found that 98 percent of patients requiring a heart transplant had previously been smokers.

More alarming, 26 percent of these transplant recipients continued to smoke, despite warnings of the damage it could do. Another study found that 11.5 years after a transplant procedure, none of the smokers were alive compared to 80 percent of non-smokers.
[SOURCE: Andrea DiMartini, “Beyond Assessment: Psychiatry’s Role in Organ Transplantation,” Psychiatric Times, December 1, 2005]

Tell Your Family If You Wish
To Donate Your Organs
                                                                       

If you haven’t signed a Uniform Donor Card to donate your organs after your death, you may want to consider it. Organs for transplantation are in short supply, and 17 Americans die every day while waiting for a transplant of a vital organ.

But even if you’ve signed such a form, you should also talk to your family about your wishes. Regardless of what you’ve signed, your next-of-kin will also be asked to sign a consent form. And in 35 percent of cases, this final consent is not given.
[SOURCE: National Kidney Foundation, “25 Facts about Organ Donation and Transplantation,” 2007]

Transplantation Can Affect Sexuality
                                                                                   

Organ transplantation generally has a positive effect on overall health and quality of life. A recent study, however, found that 28 percent of women getting kidney or pancreas transplants reported negative effects on sexual function. One third of the women had only positive effects and 29 percent reported no effect.
[SOURCE: Rebecca J. Muehrer, Mary L. Keller, Arpaporn Powwattana and Atittaya Pornchaikate, “Sexuality among Women Recipients of a Pancreas and Kidney Transplant,” Western Journal of Nursing Research, March, 2006]