Organ Transplant Pros And Disadvantages

The medical practice of organ transplantation has grown by leaps and bounds over the last 50 years. Each year the medical profession takes more risk with decisions regarding transplants, how to allocate for organs, and most recently conducting transplants on children with adult organs. “An organ transplantation is a surgical operation where a failing or damaged organ in the human body is removed and replaced with a new one” (Caplan, 2009). Not all organs can be transplanted. The term “organ transplant” typically refers to transplants of solid organs: heart, kidneys, liver, pancreas, and intestines. There are two ways of receiving an organ transplant: from a living human or an organ from a

Since the first successful kidney transplant in 1954, the procedure has evolved from a risky experimental procedure to a relatively safe and standard procedure. Since then, doctors have been consistently raising the bar and have had success with numerous organ transplants, including hearts, lungs, livers, skin and even full facial transplants. Organs can be donated from the obvious, a deceased person, or from a cadaveric donor (someone who is declared brain dead) or from live donors. The transplantable organs from a live donor include the kidney, part of the lung and liver, and part of the eye, the cornea. The donor organs

1. Attention Getter: As defined by www.dictionary.com , an organ transplant is deemed an operation moving an organ from an organism (the donor) to another (the recipient). In the U.S. alone surgeons performed 5,273 liver transplants in 2008, according to www.infopleas.com accessed on April 17,2012.

An organ donation consists of the removal of organs and tissue from a donor and then transplanting them into a person who is in desperate need of an organ. The majority of transplants occur when the donor is deceased, in situations where the donor is alive they may give one of their kidneys or part of their liver to a patient. Around 1,600 Australians are waiting for a life-changing transplant. Waiting for an organ can be up to weeks or months, meaning that many people past away waiting for a transplant.

Patients who underwent this procedure had to remain on immunosuppressive drugs for about 6 months to prevent the recipient’s immune system from destroying the donor cell. One out of seven patients that had this procedure done had a relapse because they stopped taking their immunosuppressant drug during the critical stage of treatment. This treatment has proven successful, but there still remains the concern of tissue rejection and other complication. Nevertheless, this approach still provides encouragement for people suffering with the disease.

Interestingly, a transplanted organ or tissue from a hereditarily indistinguishable contributor, i.e. an indistinguishable twin, is called an isograft, while a transplant from another animals group is named a xenograft (Sheppard, Oct. 2006)

In December of 1954, the first human organ transplant was performed in the United States between identical twin brothers. In the past sixty years, organ transplantation has become the gold standard in the treatment of organ failure from a number of underlying causes with dramatic improvements to recipients’ health and quality of life (Kaserman, 2007). From the first kidney transplant in 1954 to the late 1980’s, one of the biggest advancements was the use of cadaver organs. Organ rejection was the primary concern from the transplant team who knew that the use of cadaver organs posed higher risks of failure.

The human body is amazing in the fact that our organs are specialized. Each performs a specific role in order to increase efficiency within the body. Our specialized organs give us the ability to function and live. If just one out of our 78 organ is no longer able to perform its necessary action, something else needs to do it in place of the organ - usually a machine. Quality of life when hooked up to a machine performing crucial functions can be poor, and this is where organ transplants can help greatly. The organs of just one person can save up to eight lives and improve the lives of over 60. Major organs such as the heart and liver are essential to live. Therefore, when they are transplanted into patients, it is often a life-saving procedure that gives the recipient a second chance at life. Other organs such as

In order for transplants to be successful, there are steps that should be followed. From the beginning, the correct information should be given prior to

Another health problem that treatment with embryonic stem cells can cause is tissue rejection. As is the case with current organ transplantation procedures, embryonic stem cells are harvested from many people all who possess a unique set of genes; therefore, the stem cells are not genetically matched for each patient (Herold 48-49). The difference in genetics causes the body to reject the tissue and the immune system begins to attack the transplanted tissue like it would a virus or bacteria in an attempt to remove the perceived threat. To avoid the implanted tissues being rejected by the body, doctors must prescribe immune suppression drugs that must be taken for the remainder of the patient’s life, even with these drugs the tissue may still be rejected and

The medical industry had been achieving more in the stage of medical advancements, though they are still in the early phase. Artificial organs have been one of those achievements. Although they have achieved such, artificial organs are not perfect. Most doctors as well as patients would prefer to replace a dying organ with a compatible human organ, rather than with an artificial or animal organ. Yet due to a there being less organs donated than recipients, artificial and animal organs are becoming more common in transplants. Most of this issue is because people are unaware of how organ donation works, the organs that can be donated, how many people are in need, and the advancements that have happened in the field. Organ donation saves hundreds of lives every year, but many lives are recklessly lost due to a shortage of organ donors.

Web MD states, an organ transplant is the surgical removal of a healthy organ from one person, alive or deceased, and transplanting the organ into another person whose organ is failing. Often an organ transplant is the last effort to save and individuals life. This is why it is so important for individuals to become organ donors. Not all organs in the body are transplantable. (Organ Transplants,16) The most common organs that get transplanted are: heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, and pancreas. Tissue such as bones, corneas, and skin can also be used from organ donors.

Organ transplantation is a medical act which involves the surgical operating by transferring or removing of an organ from one person to the other, or placing the organ of a donor into the body of a recipient for the replacement of the recipients damaged or failed organ which resulted from impairment of normal physiological function affecting part or all of an organism or an act that causes someone to receive physical damage.

If somebody wanted to donate something while they were alive, instead of waiting till they die, there are also some organs that can be donated while they are living. While living people can donate their kidney, part of their pancreas, part of a lung, part of a liver, part of the intestine, bone marrow, and blood (Organ and Tissue Donation). Most people who donate organs or tissues while they are alive donate the organ or tissue to a family member or friend, but there are some cases where they donate it to someone they don’t know. Some of the organs can regenerate themselves and some can’t. If somebody donates and organ while they are alive that doesn’t regenerate itself, they are still able to survive without it. For example somebody can donate a whole kidney and be okay, because they have another one and

Physicians today are faced with a growing list of patients awaiting transplants for organs that have failed, but there are not enough donors to meet these needs. Countries all over the world have a “human organ shortage” and the waiting lists for organ transplants only seem to grow longer (Melo 427). In the United States 62,000 patients needed a kidney, liver, or pancreatic transplant in the year 2001. Xenotransplantation, which refers to the transplantation of organs, cells, or tissues from animal species into human beings, has been heralded as a promising technology that will help us save more lives and lessen the dire shortage of transplantable organs.