Transplantation (medicine)
Transplantation replaces damaged functions using organs or tissues from donors.
Transplantation is a medical procedure in which an organ, tissue, or cells are removed from one organism and placed in a recipient organism, often to replace a damaged or missing function. The donor and recipient may be at the same location, or organs may be transported from a donor site to another location. Transplantation medicine is one of the most challenging and complex areas of modern medicine, involving issues such as transplant rejection, immunosuppression, and bioethical concerns including the definition of death, consent, and organ trafficking.
- most commonly transplanted organs worldw
- kidneys, followed by liver and heart
- most commonly transplanted tissues
- cornea and musculoskeletal grafts
- cumulative transplants in the United Sta
- one million
- global need met by available transplants
- 10-20%
Lore & Background
Transplantation involves moving organs, tissues, or cells from one organism to another, either within the same person (autograft) or between genetically non-identical members of the same species (allograft). The first organ removal for transplant was performed by J. Organs successfully transplanted include the heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas, intestine, thymus, and uterus; tissues include bones, tendons, corneae, skin, heart valves, nerves, and veins.
Reader's Guide
Transplantation is a critical medical field addressing organ failure, but global analyses indicate that available transplants meet a minority of worldwide need, with substantial gaps between demand and supply. The Transplant Observatory reports year-to-year increases in registered transplant activity. Key challenges include transplant rejection, which can be reduced through serotyping and immunosuppressant drugs. Bioethical issues include the definition of death, consent, payment for organs, transplantation tourism, and organ trafficking. Recent advances include xenotransplantation using genetically modified porcine organs, machine perfusion, and normothermic ex-vivo perfusion systems that extend preservation intervals and improve graft assessment.
Did You Know?
- Cornea and musculoskeletal grafts are the most commonly transplanted tissues, outnumbering organ transplants by more than tenfold.
- Most tissues (except corneas) can be preserved and stored for up to five years.
- Domino transplants involve a recipient of a heart-lung transplant donating their healthy heart to another patient.
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