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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ORGAN TURKEY TRANSPLANTATIONS
‘Is organ transplantation a sin?’, ‘do the sins of the donor pass to me along with the organ?’, ‘what if my body doesn’t accept the organ’, ‘it’s not possible to live with one kidney’, ‘do I die when brain death occurs?’when you say,’ organ transplant surgery is very risky.’.. It is known that about 30 thousand patients are waiting for organ transplant in Turkey.
Turkey Medicals member and Organ transplant Prof. Doctor, explained what is curious about organ transplantation and shared an important data :a single person can save the lives of exactly 9 people by donating their organs.
While a donated organ can save a person’s life, it changes the lives of dozens of people along with their loved ones. In countries such as France and Belgium, which know how important Organ transplantation is, citizens become ‘organ donors’ from the moment they are born. Medical Park Antalya Hospital Complex Head Of Organ Transplantation Department Prof. Dr. “even families with patients waiting for organ transplants in Turkey are afraid to donate their organs. Even they have question marks on their minds.”he noted that awareness of organ donation should be increased.
A professor who asked our questions about kidney and liver transplantation Doctor in Turkey gave enlightening information on many issues, from transplant rates in Turkey to research on organ rejection after transplantation, from the importance of liver transplantation to the conditions of being a donor.
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DONATIONS FROM CADAVERS SHOULD INCREASE
The problem in Turkey is the lack of organ donation from cadavers, that is, people who have been brain dead. In order to increase this rate, very serious work has been done over the last 15 years. The cadaver organ donation rate is calculated by the number of organ donations realized per 1 million population. Thanks to studies, 10 years ago in Turkey,this figure was 2-2.5 per million population, and now it has exceeded 6 (in European countries and the United States, it is about 25).
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WHY ARE FAMILIES OF ORGAN TRANSPLANT PATIENTS AFRAID TO DONATE THEIR ORGANS
Why is the cadaver organ donation rate low? I think there’s a bit of a socio-cultural reason for that, obviously. Because as we go from West to East in the world, cadaver donation rates drop. For example, in Japan and Korea, there is almost no cadaver donation rate. The Ministry of Health is doing very serious work to increase the donation of cadavers. But let me share an interesting data: families with chronic kidney patients or cirrhosis who come for liver transplants in their family say, ‘Did you donate organs?’ when I ask, even among them, the proportion of those who have donated their organs does not exceed 5 per cent. This is interesting, really.
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THEY DONATE THE MOST PRECIOUS THING IN THE WORLD
There are 75 organ transplant centers in Turkey, and their number is increasing. But organ transplantation is not like gallbladder surgery or bypass surgery. Organ transplantation is a procedure. It is a process that involves many professional groups. Organ transplantation in a center does not mean that the organ transplantation in that center is performed very well. It is a business that requires corporate experience before personal experience. It is perhaps one of the most multidisciplinary areas of Medicine. Patients asked the Centre ‘ how many transplants have been done at this centre and what is the success rate in these transplants so far?’ he should investigate. Because those who apply to us are people, and what is donated is a human organ that is not found anywhere else and is not produced. It’s the most valuable thing in the world, and it needs to be used optimally because you need to save a life.
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INCREASED RESEARCH ON ORGAN REJECTION
Organ rejection is a condition that we may encounter at certain rates, especially in kidney transplantation. But you have to minimize it. A major study has been launched on this issue, with 87 centers in the world. Different drug protocols, mixtures, their doses, blood levels are measured and investigated which is the most appropriate of all these, and research on this issue continues continuously. Currently, a significant part of the research on organ transplantation is carried out in order to minimize organ rejection and develop immunosuppressive (suppressing the body’s connective system) drugs.
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WHY A KIDNEY TRANSPLANT AND NOT DIALYSIS?
Because kidney transplant patients live five times longer than dialysis patients. Kidney patients and their families need to know this very well. For every 100 patients who start dialysis today, we lose 17 after a year. After five years, we lose about half. The proportion of dialysis patients over 10 years to all dialysis patients is 5 percent. But today, patients who have had a successful kidney transplant have an 85 percent survival rate after 10 years. This is why a kidney transplant is performed. Especially the increase in live transplants is important in this regard.
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TWO BROTHERS WHO DONATED THE WORLD’S FIRST KIDNEY AND HAD TRANSPLANT HAVE LIVED FOR MORE THAN 60 YEARS
Kidney transplant surgery with a live donor was performed for the first time in the world in 1954, and the first kidney donor died 2 years ago, that is, 64 years after the operation. His brother, the person who received the kidney transplant, died 2 years before him. I mean, does it hurt to donate a kidney? if you ask, “if all conditions are appropriate, there is roughly no difference between living with two kidneys for the rest of your life and living with one kidney.” It’s been shown by thousands of studies that this is the case.
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IF ATATURK HAD RECEIVED A LIVER TRANSPLANT
Let me tell you the importance of liver transplant in Turkey with a brief example; if Atatürk had been given a liver transplant in 1938, when he died, his life would have been extended by 10-15 years. What would have happened if Atatürk had lived for 15 years or 20 more years? Everybody ask yourself that!
Kidney transplantation, like dialysis, has an alternative, although it reduces life expectancy, but there is no such alternative in liver transplantation; the patient loses his direct life. Liver transplantation in cirrhosis there is now another treatment method. So after this life-saving operation and a successful liver transplant, you can see that the patient continues his normal life with all his functions. We’ve had a liver transplant for patients from every age group, every occupational group, a 4-month-old baby, a 70-year-old patient… these patients can continue their normal lives after the transplant.
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IT IS KNOWN IN ANCIENT GREECE THAT THE LIVER REGENERATES ITSELF
A liver transplant with a live donor is a more difficult operation than a cadaver transplant. The donor candidate can donate up to 70 percent of his liver if everything is appropriate. 30 percent of it remains, but this 30 percent self-renewal within 2-3 months comes to the old volume. In The Legend of Prometheus from ancient Greece to the present day, interestingly, this feature of the liver is emphasized; Zeus chains Prometheus to the head of a mountain, and an eagle comes every day and digs his belly and takes a piece of his liver. But the next day, his liver returns to its former state, having regenerated itself again. As if it had ever been known that the liver was an organ that could regenerate itself.
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THE COST OF TRANSPLANT OPERATION WORK IS HEAVY
I’ve been responsible for over 6,500 organ transplant operations in my life. That’s one reason why a surgeon my age looks so old. But let me tell you, organ transplantation is a different world. After a while, patients who have been on dialysis for years completely stop urinating and become unable to drink water. These patients take ice in their mouths and drink it slowly, melting. Then you do a kidney transplant to this patient, and for him, 3-4 liters of water he drinks a day will be a great pleasure. Or you do an organ transplant to a comatose liver patient, and after a while you come across a completely normal person. That’s the most enjoyable part of our job. But it’s a job that costs a lot.
I want to say to young surgeons to students,” don’t risk too much, don’t interfere with meat and milk, don’t interfere with surgery, ” and if they want to live such a life, they don’t have an organ transplant. But if they want to do a job where they can give themselves enough to put their work ahead of their lives, then that’s exactly the way to choose. Because an organ transplant doesn’t allow you to be too interested in anything else in your life.
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BRIEF BRIEF ON ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION
WHAT IS ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION IN ISTANBUL AND ANTALYA TURKEY?
Organ transplantation is the replacement of vital organs in the body that can no longer perform their task with another human organ. If vital organs lose function, another human organ is transplanted in its place.
WHO CAN BE A DONOR?
Donors with a live donor relatives of the patient up to the fourth degree if they are married, their wife and spouse’s relatives up to the fourth degree can be a live donor donor. In addition, if there is no kinship between them, people who receive approval from ethical boards in provinces where organ transplant centers are located and who do not medically prevent organ donation can be donors.
If the kidney transplant is the most appropriate donor, if there is someone in his family whose blood type matches him, they are the most appropriate donor who falls into the group I just mentioned. If they don’t, they should be put on a national waiting list, which we call a cadaver waiting list from someone who has died. A transplant can be performed from a person who has been brain dead when they have a suitable organ.
ONE PERSON CAN HOPE FOR 9 PEOPLE
A person can hope for 9 people by donating their organs, liver, two kidneys, pancreas, heart, lung and two corneas if suitable, if again suitable and if it can be done, with their small intestines.
IS TRANSPLANT SURGERY IN ANTALYA TURKEY RISKY?
The mortality rate in kidney operations with live donors is 1 in 30 thousand. I mean, whatever risk you have of getting in a car accident and dying, that’s all in this operation. In liver operations with live donors, the risk of death is 1 in 3 thousand. Reported, there are 6-7 cases of death in Turkey so far. These risks are much lower in live donor transplants. The risk of death in a hernia operation is the same as the risk of death in live donor organ transplants.
FALSE BELIEFS IN ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION IN TURKEY
Organs that can be donated while living are only part of the kidney and liver. It is the most common belief that people who donate a kidney or liver will remain half human. In addition, it is a false belief that these people have an increased risk of developing different diseases in their later lives. It is a very false belief that the risks of donor surgery are very high. Age is known as over 65 years of age can not donate organs if there is no problem in the organ systems, even if these people are over 65 years of age can donate organs. That’s a false belief.
HOW TO BECOME A DONOR?
In order to become a donor, he must first declare to his closest relatives that he wants his organs donated if brain death occurs after they have lost their lives. In addition, filling out cards found in Antalya health directorates belonging to the Turkish Ministry of health or organ donation offices located in universities in Turkey or public Turkish hospitals.
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Turkey's world-renowned organ transplant specialist. Dr. Demirbaş has 104 international publications and 102 national publications.
Physician's Resume:
Born on August 7, 1963 in Çorum, Prof. Dr. Alper Demirbaş has been continuing his work as the President of MedicalPark Antalya Hospital Organ Transplantation Center since 2008.
Prof. who performed the first tissue incompatible kidney transplant in Turkey, the first blood type incompatible kidney transplant, the first kidney-pancreas transplant program and the first cadaveric donor and live donor liver transplant in Antalya. Dr. As of August 2016, Alper Demirbaş has performed 4900 kidney transplants, 500 liver transplants and 95 pancreas transplants.
In addition to being the chairman of 6 national congresses, he has also been an invited speaker at 12 international and 65 national scientific congresses. Dr. Alper Demirbaş was married and the father of 1 girl and 1 boy.
Awards:
Eczacibasi Medical Award of 2002, Akdeniz University Service Award of 2005, Izder Medical Man of the Year Award of 2006, BÖHAK Medical Man of the Year Award of 2007, Sabah Mediterranean Newspaper Scientist of the Year Award of 2007, ANTIKAD Scientist of the Year Award of 2009, Social Ethics Association Award of 2010, Işık University Medical Man of the Year Award of 2015, VTV Antalya's Brand Value Award of 2015.
Certificates:
Doctor of Medicine Degree Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine Ankara, General Surgeon Ministry of Health Turkey EKFMG (0-477-343-8), University of Miami School of Medicine Member of Multiple Organ Transplant, ASTS Multiorgan Transplant Scholarship. Lecturer at Kyoto University. Lecturer at University of Essen, Research assistant at the University of Cambridge .
Professional Members:
American Society of Transplant Surgeons, American Transplantation Society Nominated, Middle East and Southern Africa Council Transplantation Society 2007, International Liver Transplantation Association, Turkish Transplantation Association, Turkish Society of Surgery, Turkish Hepatobiliary Surgery Association.
Disclaimer:
Our website contents consist of articles approved by our Web and Medical Editorial Board with the contributions of our physicians. Our contents are prepared only for informational purposes for public benefit. Be sure to consult your doctor for diagnosis and treatment.