FAQs

A declaration of consent to the use of one's body and postmortem tissues must be drawn up in one of the following forms: public deed or notarized private writing or simple private writing. The declaration must be delivered to the Local Health Authority of affiliation, which will electronically transmit its information content to the national database, in the separate section devoted to postmortem dispositions. Before drafting the declaration of consent, it is recommended that you carefully read the relevant legislation available in the CURRENT LEGISLATION section.

No, it is not possible. The act of disposing of one's body postmortem is a personal and unilateral act. Under no circumstances can another person, whether a family member or a trusted person, express consent on his or her behalf. Therefore, the decision of the subject cannot be subject to the consent or non-opposition of family members.

No, it is not possible. Law No. 10/2020 states that it is the doctor who ascertains the death who identifies the territorially competent Reference Center, that is, the one closest to the place where the death occurred, by consulting the list published on the Ministry of Health website.

No. The law does not provide an unambiguous type of form for drafting the statement of consent to donate one's body postmortem, however, some Reference Centers and numerous Associations have prepared a form for this purpose.

Yes, it is highly recommended to inform family members or other trusted person of one's choice. The role of family members may be important in order to make the will of the donor enforceable. A trusted person (trustee) must be mandatorily named in the declaration of consent to postmortem donation, who is responsible for notifying the physician ascertaining death of the existence of consent.

No, body donation is a voluntary and philanthropic act. The Center will reimburse any expenses incurred by family members for the transportation, burial or cremation of the body. All such expenses must be analytically documented and detailed.

Yes, consent can be revoked at any time in the same manner required for its expression. Revocation must be communicated to the Local Health Authority of affiliation, who will transmit it to the national database. In cases where reasons of emergency and urgency prevent the revocation of consent in the manner prescribed by law, it may be  accomplished by a verbal statement collected or videotaped by a physician, with the assistance of two witnesses.

Yes, Law No. 10/2020 requires the settlor to appoint a trusted person (trustee) who must be an adult and be of sound mind, but not necessarily an immediate family member/relative. The appointment of a substitute trustee is, however, optional. Acceptance of the appointment by the trustee and the substitute is made by signing the declaration of consent.

Yes, Law No. 10/2020 provides for this possibility. In such an eventuality, the Center will provide for the final destination of the remains in full compliance with the will expressed in life by the deceased or, in its absence, the wishes of the family members.

There are no age limits for postmortem body donation.

Yes, bodies affected by the following infections are excluded from use for study, training, and scientific research purposes: HIV, HBV, HCV, tuberculosis, syphilis, transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, prion diseases, care-related infections, and nosocomial infections (in cases where the infection is the exclusive or predominant cause of death), antimicrobial resistance-related infections, SARS-CoV-2 (including probable, suspected, and confirmed cases), emerging infections, or particular diseases capable of placing the health of caregivers at serious risk. Also excluded are bodies undergoing recent treatment with therapeutic radionuclides; bodies undergoing diagnostic findings or judicial autopsy; bodies with severe mutilation and extensive open wounds of a post-traumatic nature; and bodies of suicidal individuals. The full list of exclusion causes is contained in Article 3 of Presidential Decree No. 47/2023.

Yes. Choosing to donate one's body is perfectly compatible with organ and tissue donation. Since the purpose of organ donation is to save - or significantly improve - the life of one or more people, organ procurement and transplantation activities have temporal priority. At the time of death, therefore, it will be ascertained whether there is consent to donation for therapeutic transplantation (through consultation of the Transplant Information System) or, in the absence of this, the non-opposition of eligible family members. In the presence of elements of ineligibility for organ procurement, health personnel will terminate the protocol and initiate the procedure for body donation. Organ and tissue donors for the purpose of transplantation who, at the same time, have disposed of their bodies for the purpose of study, training and scientific research, are made aware that, in the case of multiple-organ harvesting, the body becomes ineligible for the purposes provided by Law No. 10/2020 (with the exception of cornea harvesting).

No, bodies subjected to autopsy are not considered suitable for  study, training and scientific research purposes.

Death abroad is among the causes of exclusion provided by Art. 3 of Presidential Decree No. 47/2023; in the case of death abroad, in fact, the distance and special procedures provided for international funeral transport may not allow the body to arrive at the Center within the  seven-day time limit  set by law (Art. 3, Paragraph 2 (b) of Presidential Decree No. 47/2023).

Yes. For special teaching and research needs, the body may undergo conservative treatment by perfusion (injection of fixative fluid through an artery).

The body will be used for both medical and surgical training and biomedical research. All activities will be carried out with full respect for the dignity of the body, avoiding unnecessary mutilation and dissection.

After the period designated for study and educational activities has elapsed, the body, carefully reassembled, will be returned to the family for subsequent burial/interment or sent for cremation, and the ashes returned to the family for subsequent  burial/custody or scattering. In the event that the disposer chooses that his or her body/ashes not to be returned, the Center will provide for the final destination of the remains in full compliance with the wishes expressed in life by the deceased or, in the absence thereof, the wishes of the family members.

The trustee (or his substitute) bears the burden of communicating the existence of the specific consent to the physician who ascertains the death; the latter will identify the territorially competent Reference Center, i.e., the one closest to the place where the death occurred, and will notify the identified Reference Center of the death of the settlor. The trustee (or his or her substitute) thus plays a central and active role in carrying out the will of the settlor.

Transportation will be entrusted to a funeral home. In  case of  death within the territory of the Metropolitan City of Bologna, transportation will be provided by Bologna Funeral Services; in case of  death outside the territory of the Metropolitan City of Bologna, transportation will be provided by a funeral home identified by the deceased's family members or other eligible parties.

The Center will act as a connecting link between the family members and the funeral home, providing support and supervision.

The Reference Center shall bear the expenses for the transportation of the body from the moment of death until its return; expenses related to burial and eventual cremation shall also be borne by the Center.

In the case of death outside the territory of the Metropolitan City of Bologna, transportation expenses must be advanced by family members and duly documented and detailed so that the Center can proceed with refund.

In the event that the Center, for technical-organizational reasons, is unable to accept the body, the doctor who ascertains the death will promptly identify another reference Center, again according to a criterion of territorial proximity. In the event that the body cannot be received by any Center due to failure to meet eligibility requirements, deferred transport, or failure to receive medical certification attesting the absence of infectious or disseminated diseases, family members may proceed independently to burial or cremation.

While awaiting transfer to the Center, the donor's body is available to family members for any farewell ceremony for a maximum of three days; subject to individual case assessment, the above period may be extended to a maximum of seven days. It should be noted, however, that after death and the 24-hours term  prescribed by law have elapsed, the donor's body must be kept at a suitable temperature (+4°C or -20°C). Therefore, in the case of death in a hospital, the body must be kept in a refrigerated cell until transport; in the case of death in a private home or other facility without refrigeration systems for the preservation of remains, the body must be transferred to a morgue (in a hospital or a cemetery) equipped with a refrigerated cell.

Family members may accompany the deceased and visit the Center; however, entry into the dissecting rooms and other technical rooms is not permitted for ethical and sanitary reasons.