Re: Can a donated organ be re-used after the receipient's death?

Retransplanting an organ which has already been transplanted from a previous donor is definitely feasible and may lead to continued function in the final host, given all three humans are genetically matched. However, it is probably not an ideal source for increased graft survival. In general, the age and cardiovascular health of the genetically matched donor (I won't go into HLA matching in detail here) increases the potential of the organ to function without failure. During the transport, lack of oxygen (ischemia) damages the organ in ways that may still allow function in the first host but would compound with additional damage in the second round that could lead to organ failure. In addition, the trauma of surgery and the inflammatory process during the initial grafting period can also damage the organ to subcritical levels, decreasing its utility as a source organ for a second round.