Organ donation
Organ Donation by Living Donor: Which organs can be donated while alive?
If an ill person gets an organ donation, the effect of the donor's contribution will continue to benefit the recipient for the rest of his or her life. According to statistics, a new name is added to the list of people awaiting an organ transplant in the world every ten minutes. The list includes newborns, toddlers, teenagers, parents, and grandparents who all need an extraordinary gift to survive. And unfortunately, twenty or more individuals die each day without obtaining a lifesaving transplant. So, the need for a living organ donor is gradually rising. The good news is, with modern medical science, a person can easily donate one of his or her six organs.
The Organs That Can Be Donated by A Living Donor
A live donor's organs or tissues are transferred to a recipient’s body. Organ and tissue donation can create the difference between life and death for patients waiting for transplants. By donating organs, one living donor may save up to six lives. The intestines, kidneys, segments of the liver, part of the lungs, uterus, and pancreas are among the organs that may be given.
Kidneys
The kidneys are the most often transplanted organ. The kidneys are in charge of filtering waste and excess water from the blood and maintaining the proper balance of the body's fluids. Individuals who are on dialysis owing to excessive blood pressure, diabetes, or cystic kidney disease may qualify for a kidney transplant.
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Parts of a Liver
The liver is responsible for about 500 recognized processes in the human body, including the production of bile, which assists in digestion, the breakdown of toxic compounds in the blood, and the storage of vitamins, carbohydrates, and fats. Due to the extensive array of activities performed by the liver, donating one may help patients avoid chronic liver illnesses such as hepatitis or damage caused by drugs or alcohol.
A given liver may sometimes be shared between two recipients, which implies that a single donor might possibly save two lives. However, a living donor can't donate a full liver. But in special cases, a few segments of a liver can be transferable while being alive.
Parts of a Lung
The lungs perform a critical job in the body. They absorb oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. Cystic fibrosis, emphysema, and pulmonary edema are among the conditions that often necessitate a lung transplant. As with the liver, a single living donor may contribute just a few segments of his or her lung.
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Parts of a Pancreas
Individuals need their pancreas to assist with insulin regulation. The pancreas generates insulin, a hormone that aids the body in using glucose (sugar) for energy, as well as enzymes that aid in the digestion of fat, protein, and carbs. A few parts of the pancreas can be transplanted from a living donor.
Parts of Intestine
Your intestines are responsible for the digestion and re-absorption of nutrients into circulation. If your intestines are twisted or clogged, or if you have a short-gut syndrome, you may need a complete or partial intestinal transplant.
Others Organs and Tissues
Additionally, some tissues such as skin, bone, bone marrow, and blood may be given by a live donor. Over time, a healthy individual may naturally replenish these tissues.
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Process of a Living Donation
For organ donation, the live donor must be in excellent health and the age limit must be between 18 to 60 years. Intensive care is given to ensure that the donation does not cause any detrimental physical, psychological, or emotional effects. Before starting the medical process, the donor is evaluated by the transplant facility to establish his or her emotional fitness, physical health, and compatibility.
Making a choice to be a live donor should be taken very seriously. Donating an organ or tissue is a risky surgical operation. Ensure that you discuss the operation with the surgeon to ensure that your expectations are reasonable. While the donor's medical expenditures are covered by the recipient's insurance, there may be some financial implications associated with time off work during recuperation.
In most cases, live donors are family members or close acquaintances of the recipients. However, some brave heart individuals may respond to a request for assistance from someone they do not know but desire to assist.
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Why is Organ Donation Noble?
According to experts, a single donor's organs may save or assist up to 50 individuals. The majority of donations occur after a donor's death. However, some organs and tissues may be given while the donor is still alive without causing the donor any damage. Organ donors might be of any age or background.
Organ donation is purely a charitable gesture. It is considered as a noble activity in almost every society and country. Donating an organ fosters a noble and humanitarian attitude in society. This indicates a desire to continue serving others beyond one's death. Organs should be donated with the kind intentions of saving lives of other humans.
Why People Should Consider Organ Donation
A new name is added to the waiting list every nine minutes. Organ and tissue donation provides patients awaiting transplantation hope and life. Simply put, enrolling in organ donation is a lifesaving gift.
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As a living donor, you may not witness the direct result of organ donation, but it will be felt and experienced by the recipient on his or her every breath. Thus, you may leave a legacy of love and healing as an organ and tissue donor.
Bottom Line
An opportunity to breathe, see, or walk once again can rejuvinate a person who might have the least hope for living. Organ transplantations can enable the recipients to reclaim their most precious moments on earth through the rest of their lives. By registering as a living organ or tissue donor, you may give a person hope for a new life.
Read Successful transplant of pig's heart into a human body for the first time
2 years ago
Successful transplant of pig's heart into a human body for the first time
With the development of science and technology, now everybody is getting used to the issue of organ transplantation between animals and humans. Earlier, pig kidneys were transplanted into the human body through genetic engineering. And this time the pig heart transplantation took place in a human body. Physicians at the University of Maryland Medical School in the United States have finally done this revolutionary surgery. Let's get to know the details of this groundbreaking addition to the medical sciences.
Transplantation of pig heart in the human body
The organ transplants between different species (called xenotransplantation in medical science) began in the 18th century. Preliminary research was focused on primates. But all such attempts have repeatedly failed because the organs of those animals are incompatible with the internal structure of the human body. The incident of baby Fae can be the nearest example. In 1984, the baby survived for 21 days with a baboon's heart.
Then at the beginning of the third decade of the 21st century, the surgery by Bertley Griffith and his team based set a pathbreaking example in Maryland. It took about eight hours to transplant the pig's heart into the chest of 57-year-old David Bennett. Not to mention, Friday, January 7, 2022, was a very breath-taking day for Bennett's family as well as his doctors.
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Six human genes were inserted into the genome to work on a total of 10 unique genes. This genetic engineering was performed in September 2021 by the biotech firm Revivicor of Virginia. They temporarily attached a pig's kidney to a brain-dead human body and it started working.
And the Maryland transplant took that test to the next level. They used the heart of a pig that was undergoing genetic engineering to remove sugar from its cells. These pigs are made as ideal donors due to their size, rapid growth, and rapid breeding characteristics.
This heart was provided by the biotech firm Revivicor. The organ was preserved in a special machine to keep it healthy until surgery. It also uses an experimental new anti-rejection drug developed by Kinixa Pharmaceuticals.
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The most difficult part of this experimental surgery was to tell the patient the whole story. And Dr. Bertley Griffith, the chief physician of this surgery, has done this very wisely. Since the first treatment, the whole matter from beginning to end was full of uncertainty. Earlier, Dr. Grifith transplanted pig hearts into about 50 baboons in five years.
American David Bennett: First human to get pig heart transplantation
Throughout his life, David Bennett has been involved in a variety of activities, including pool repair, car maintenance, and painting. About a decade ago he fitted a pig's valve.
He went on a rampage several times looking for a heart donor, and he was devastated after failing a few heart transplant tests. Physical condition, heart failure, and irregular heartbeat made him ineligible for an artificial heart pump. In this way, even trying for two months to save his heart did not work.
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After thinking about all this, Dr. Bennett decided to go with Griffith's proposal.
The patient's current condition after complex surgery
The first 48 hours after the surgery was spent without any serious incident. The situation has improved considerably since last Monday. Bennett was still attached to the heart-lung bypass machine and was able to breathe on his own. However, this is not uncommon in patients with new heart transplants.
Yet the response of every part of his body is being closely monitored. Although the risk is low, the risk of infection with the pig virus or porcine retrovirus is still being monitored.
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However, more time is needed to explore whether such early-stage replacement can work in the end. Even then, Bennett hopes it will work out eventually and that he will be able to have a human heart into his chest later.
Wrap up
Today, many patients are dying around the world of the unavailability of matched organs. The successful transplantation of a pig's heart into a human body is a futuristic invention. This initiative's ultimate practical success will raise the hopes of millions of other physically challenged patients, including those with congenital disabilities. We can hope that, in the future, the supply of organs will surmount the number of patients. The pig's heart, which was placed on Bennett's chest, contained life-saving properties as a by-product dut to genetic engineering. Therefore, revolutionary changes in heart transplantation can be expected in near future.
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