We prepared you an article on details of organ transplantation in Turkey.
What is Organ Transplantation?
Organ transplantation is an operation of transplanting an organ instead of a damaged or a missing organ, the organ is taken from a donor (the body that the organ is taken from) and then transferred by the method mentioned above. The organ or tissues needed for organ transplantation can be taken from an alive body or a cadaver (dead body).
Is Every Organ Transplantable?
Organ transplantation, in our current day with the point we reached with the medical knowledge it is still a difficult and complex field. With the point reached today organs like Heart, kidneys, liver, pancreas, and bowel can be transplanted successfully.
In the world the most transplanted organ is kidney, liver is the second most transplanted, and heart is the third.
Does every Organ Adapt?
One of the most important points in the organ transplantation operations is the body’s adaptation to the newly transplanted organ or tissue and not giving a negative reaction to it. In case of the body showing an immune reaction to the transplanted organ it can be a reason to the operation of transplantation being marked as a failure. In case of something like this transplanted organ must be taken out immediately.
In our current day a lot of studies is carried out to remove the risk incompatibility, among these is doing serotyping in matching the donor and the recipient.
Can Tissue Transplantation Be Preformed?
Currently aside from organ transplantation tissue transplantations can be done successfully as well. Even some tissues are more popular than organ transplantations. Transplantations can be done with bone, tendon, cornea, skin, heart valves, nerves, and vessels.
Cornea and musculoskeletal grafts are among the most common transplanted tissues.
Which Conditions Can Organ Transplantation Be Performed Under?
Organ transplantation is done with people who are older than 18 years old and is based on volunteering. The person must make an official statement while he/she is still alive that he/she wants to donate his organs. Another condition is that the person who wants to donate must be mentally healthy. After the person’s death his family can consent to donating his organs. Organ donor can be alive, dead, or brain - dead individuals that survive on machines. Organs taken out in 24 hours from people whose heartbeat stopped or became brain - dead individuals can be used.
While in organ transplantation 24 hours are a critic mark, aside from cornea tissues can be stored and protected for much longer. There are special conditions for that must be met for tissue that can be stored for five years in special tissue banks.
Another criterion for organ transplantation is the criteria that the person who will get organ transplanted must meet. If a compatible organ is found in the organ banks of the country, the patient's role in the ranking becomes very important. Person's age, gender, health condition, and usage of cigarettes and alcohol plays a critical role in the choice.
Where Is Organ Transplantation Done in Turkey?
In Turkey organ transplantation can be performed in both private and public hospitals. Every year hundreds of international patients visit Turkey for organ transplantation. Turkey taking place in the top 5 countries in organ transplantation is one of interest reasons.
Prof.Dr.Omer Ozkan: first complete face transplant
When talking about organ transplant, we can’t pass without mentioning prof.dr.Omer Ozkan. Prof.Dr.Omer Ozkan with his success in transplantation field made a reputation in both Turkey and the world, and with this writing his name in the field of health in history. Dr.Ozkan known for his success in Turkey’s first face transplantation also, is the one who performed country's first successful double arm transplantation.
The successful doctor is not the first in Turkey only but also, one of world first doctors, since he was world’s first doctor to successfully preform cadaveric uterine transplantation. Ozkan became a name deemed worthy of many awards for his achievements. Özkan, who was awarded with the PSEG Plastic Surgery Educational Foundation Scientific Essay Contest Junior Basic Science Award in 2002, was also awarded with Akdeniz University Incentive Award in 2007.
How Does the Process Proceed After the Organ Transplantation?
One of the most important and popular concerns after the organ transplantation operation is about the life of the patient who got the transplantation. Patients can continue their lives normally after the operation. Patients who can return to their regular lives 3 months after the operation, can continue the rest of their lives in a healthy way.
After the successful organ transplantation operation doctors’ instructions must be followed. Medicines must be taken regularly as well as getting controls done regularly.
