Organ transplant
Organ transplantation has become an important treatment at a time when chronic diseases are the leading cause of death in humans.
Advances in medicine and life sciences have led to an increase in human life expectancy in the last hundred years. As a result, chronic diseases are now the leading cause of human death, rather than acute infectious diseases. Many of these conditions will eventually lead to organ failure such as liver, kidney, heart or lung failure; Therefore, organ transplantation has long been considered as a solution for the treatment of these diseases.
With the first successful kidney transplant at Harvard University in the United States in 1954, the transplant entered the medical service scientifically and practically. Subsequently, liver, pancreas, heart and lung transplants were also performed successfully.
Today, organ transplantation is considered as the best treatment for organ failure and a preferred measure that will increase patients’ life expectancy and improve their quality of life. Numerous studies have shown that organ transplantation is socially, familially and even economically beneficial to society.
Fortunately, there are several organ transplant centers in our country that perform all types of organ transplants, and it is necessary for doctors and patients to be aware of the process of this treatment.
A patient with a terminal organ failure is referred by a physician to a transplant center. Specialists there examine the person in all directions to make sure the transplant is beneficial to the patient. In this case, the patient will be included in the transplant list. In the case of liver and kidney patients, it is possible to transplant from a living person. The donor can be a relative, friend or stranger. If a transplant from a living person is not possible, a transplanted organ will be prepared for brain dead disease. Access to these members is prioritized according to specific regulations in the country.
After surgery, the patient is placed under special care so that, firstly, the person recovers from the surgery and, secondly, the function of the transplanted organ is carefully examined, especially in terms of transplant rejection.
The patient will be discharged from the hospital after recovery, but will still need to be monitored by the transplant team. Because it is a transplanted organ of non-native tissue, the body tends to excrete it. The human body’s defense system deals with any non-native tissue, whether microbial or transplanted; Therefore, it is necessary for transplant patients to take anti-transplant drugs for the rest of their lives. These drugs will lower the level of the immune system to prevent transplant rejection.
It should be noted that this is sometimes associated with risks such as the possibility of infection, so the transplant team must closely monitor the patient to ensure appropriate treatment in case of infection. Therefore, the transplant patient will continue to live continuously under the supervision of specialists to prevent these complications and evaluate the function of the transplanted organ.
Dr. Reza Saeedi Firoozabadi – Transplant Surgeon and Faculty Member of Tehran University of Medical Sciences
