Organ Transplantation
One of the areas where Prometeymed provides services is organ transplantation processes. The organ transplant centers we work with in this field are centers that provide services at extremely high technological standards and have experienced medical staff. Organ transplantation, which is the best treatment for end-stage organ failure, is a sensitive process that must be meticulously monitored at every stage.
Prometeymed offers a sensitive and high-quality service at all stages, from the patient’s suitability for organ transplantation, finding the right center and donor, pre- and post-operative care, to the patient’s transition to a healthy life.
Today, organ transplantation operations produce extremely good results and give hope to patients. Let’s share detailed information about this field.
Organ donation and transplantation is the removal of an organ from a person (donor) and surgically implanting the healthy organ into someone else (recipient) who has a problem. Organs that can be donated include the liver, kidney, pancreas and heart.
Organ transplantation is a very important and delicate operation and therefore there are many things to be aware of.
What is Organ Transplantation?
Organ transplantation, also known as transplantation, is the process of surgically removing an organ or tissue from one person (the organ donor) and placing it in another person (the recipient). Transplantation may be necessary because the recipient has organ failure or has been damaged by disease or injury.
Organ transplantation is considered one of the greatest advances in modern medicine, but unfortunately, the need for organ donors is far greater than the number of people who actually donate. For example, every day in the United States, 21 people die waiting for an organ and more than 107,380 men, women and children are waiting for a transplant that could save their lives.
Which organs can be transplanted?
Some organs and tissues that can be transplanted are shown below:
- Liver.
- Kidney.
- Pancreas.
- Heart.
- Lung.
- Intestine.
- Corneas.
- Middle ear.
- Skin.
- Bone.
- Bone marrow.
- Heart valves.
- Connective tissue.
Vascularized composite allografts (transplantation of various structures that may include skin, uterus, bone, muscles, blood vessels, nerves and connective tissue).
In what cases is organ transplantation performed?
Transplantation is always necessary when the function of an organ is irreversibly lost and there is no other treatment. This applies, for example, to the following diseases or injuries:
- Complete loss of kidney function (renal failure)
- Heart failure
- Cirrhosis
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- Serious burns or injuries to skin and extremities
- Severe forms of insulin-treated diabetes mellitus
- Blood cancer (leukemia)
- Healing from skin cancer
In such cases, organ transplantation may be necessary. In such a case, your doctor will help you with the necessary procedures.
What should be done for organ transplantation?
If you need a transplant, you will need to be placed on the national waiting list, and to get on the list you will need to visit a transplant-eligible hospital.
The specialist team at the transplant-eligible hospital will assess your case and determine whether you are a suitable candidate for transplantation. In addition to the criteria developed by the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) for certain types of organs, each transplant hospital has its own criteria for accepting candidates for transplantation.
If the transplant hospital’s expert team determines that you are a suitable transplant candidate, they will add you to the national waiting list. You can be on the waiting list at more than one transplant hospital and UNOS policies allow “multiple lists”.
Then, you wait. There is no sure way to know how long you will wait to receive a donor organ. Your name will be added to the name pool. When an organ becomes available, all patients in the pool are evaluated to determine compatibility.
Heart transplantation
A heart transplant is performed in cases of brain death. This transplant is most often performed in the event of an accident. The heart is a vital organ and is responsible for all major functions, so a heart transplant can give someone a second life. But the biggest setback is that heart transplants are very costly and only a few people can afford it.
There are strict rules for heart transplantation; it is performed by specialized doctors who work on the patient throughout the procedure. All indicators are carefully interpreted and understood before any surgery is performed. It is one of the most critical transplants and only a few are successful due to the scarcity of donors.
Lung transplantation
It is one of the rare transplants due to lack of donors and critical transplant time. Basically, the deceased patient’s lung is removed and replaced with a healthy lung. However, the lung must be transplanted within a limited time, which can be a challenge if the donor is located elsewhere.
Liver transplantation
Some liver diseases are incurable and therefore in some cases the only option left is liver transplantation. In this case, the liver is removed from the unhealthy patient’s body and the unhealthy liver is replaced with either part of the liver from a living donor or a full healthy liver from an anonymous donor. Part of the liver can only be donated by a close relative or a blood relative of the patient. Most liver transplants are performed because of alcohol abuse resulting in cirrhosis, a liver disease.
Other diseases that occur in the liver are chronic hepatitis B, chronic hepatitis C, autoimmune hepatitis, metabolic disorders and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Liver transplantation rates are relatively high, with 75 percent of patients surviving up to 5 years after liver transplantation.
Kidney transplantation
Kidney diseases are quite common today and many people suffer from kidney failure. The kidney is an important part of our body and is responsible for filtering harmful toxins from our body. This process ensures healthy blood flow and electrolyte levels that allow the body to function normally. Organ surgery is recommended when dialysis is ruled out for the health of the kidney. Depending on the functioning and health status, both kidneys or one of the two kidneys may require transplantation. A single kidney transplant requires a living transplant donor, which must be a blood relative, to have a higher chance of acceptance in the recipient’s body.
However, the person who donates their kidney must follow a strict diet and take special medications to reduce the chance of transplant complications. Failure to take precautions can lead to organ rejection. People with cancer, hepatitis or cardiovascular problems are not selected for this surgery.
Cornea Transplantation
Sometimes corneal tissues are irreparably damaged by some kind of disease or injury. At this point corneal surgery is recommended. Corneal transplantation is very successful and is one of the most common organ transplants, as people are less hesitant to donate their cornea. In addition, the widespread prevalence of corneal and eye diseases, and therefore advances in eye-related treatment processes, have begun to turn this transplantation process into a natural situation.
Corneal transplantation can be performed for eye infections such as keratitis or herpes and scarring caused by diseases such as Keratoconus, where the shape of the cornea is distorted. These conditions make corneal transplantation the only way to restore vision. Hereditary conditions are also sometimes responsible for transplantation. This transplant is recommended in cases where cataract and LASIK surgeries have failed or caused serious complications.
