Below you can read exactly what you need to do after your loved one has passed away.

1. Notification of death

Call the Hartenbank as soon as possible at 088 2333 699 to report the donor’s death.

We understand that this can be an emotionally difficult situation for the next of kin. Therefore, the notification may also be made by the GP or another involved party other than the primary contact person.

Please note: it is possible that the Hartenbank may decide not to proceed with the donation upon the donor’s death. This occurs if:

• the donor is not in the Netherlands at that time;
• the donor has indicated a wish to be a whole-body donor as well. In the case of whole-body donation, the body is fully transferred to the Department of Anatomy for educational purposes (and in some cases for research) and is not returned. Unfortunately, it is currently not possible to combine heart donation with whole-body donation;
• there is an objection from the next of kin;
• too much time has elapsed between the death and the notification of death. It is therefore important to report the death as soon as possible. The Hartenbank aims to perform the autopsy within 24 hours.
• the donor has a contagious infection or disease that could pose a risk to the autopsy team;
• there is currently no demand from the research community for the heart tissue (with a specific diagnosis).

Organ donation always takes priority

Does the deceased have a donor codicil? Organ donation to a living recipient always takes priority. If the physician indicates that organ donation is possible, this is reported to the Dutch Transplantation Foundation (Nederlandse Transplantatie Stichting). In many cases, it is possible to combine skin and/or eye donation with heart donation. In such instances, the Dutch Transplantation Foundation will contact the Hartenbank, and we will ensure that both donations can take place where possible.

Euthanasia

In cases of euthanasia, we would greatly appreciate being informed in advance. This allows us to ensure the heart is removed from the body as quickly as possible, which benefits the quality of the tissue for research.

2. Processing the notification of death

We go through a checklist of important questions to carefully process the notification of death. This includes:

• the donor’s personal details;
• the cause of death;
• whether the donor has a pacemaker or other implant and whether it has been deactivated;
• whether the death has been officially confirmed by a physician (coroner’s examination);
• practical information, such as the time the deceased can be collected (preferably as soon as possible, to keep the time between death and autopsy to a minimum).

We coordinate this time with the funeral service company Post Mortem and check if it fits within their schedule. The contact person will be informed of this. Please note: the Hartenbank arranges the funeral transport, so this does not need to be handled by the next of kin or the funeral director.

If the GP makes the initial report, we will always call the contact person or (another) next of kin at a later time to coordinate when the donor can be collected.

3. Transportation of the donor

The funeral service company Post Mortem collects the donor’s body and brings it to Amsterdam UMC. Post Mortem usually arrives with two people.

If the death occurs in a hospital, the donor is first taken to that hospital’s mortuary. Post Mortem collects the body from there and does not enter the ward.

4. Autopsy: removing the heart

A specialized physician (pathologist), together with assistants, removes the heart from the body. If the donor is also a brain donor, the brain is removed on the same day. The pathologist opens the chest cavity, removes the heart, and then carefully closes the chest again. Afterwards, a suture will be visible on the chest. The donor’s body is not dressed but wrapped in a so-called ‘shroud’. Further care and dressing of the deceased take place after the autopsy, at the funeral director’s.

5. Return of the donor and funeral

We aim to have the donor returned to the family, funeral home, or crematorium within one day after the autopsy, so that the funeral can proceed as planned. Depending on the time of death, the schedule of the funeral transporter, and the availability of the autopsy team, it may happen that the autopsy does not take place until the following day. Until then, the body remains refrigerated. This may be overnight at the funeral transporter’s or in the hospital mortuary, for example. If it is not yet known at the time of the death notification where the body should go after the autopsy, this can be provided later or on the following day. In that case, we will contact the contact person to coordinate this further. We discuss with the funeral transporter Post Mortem and the funeral director where the body can be taken after the autopsy and at what time this will occur.

If the body returns home, the funeral director must be present with a cooling plate. The body can only be placed on the ground floor, unless an elevator is available. The funeral can then proceed as planned, and a viewing is possible.

the Hartenbank arranges the transport of the body to the funeral director. This does not need to be organized by the next of kin or the funeral director. The costs of the autopsy and transport to Amsterdam UMC and subsequently to the home or funeral home are covered by the Hartenbank. The costs of the funeral itself are the responsibility of the donor or the next of kin.

6. Storage of heart tissue

The heart tissue is carefully processed and then stored in the biobank of Amsterdam UMC.

The step-by-step plan in brief