Ethical issues in organ transplantation.
Clinical organ transplantation has been recognized as one of the most gripping medical advances of the century as it provides a way of giving the gift of life to patients with terminal failure of vital organs, which requires the participation of other fellow human beings and of society by donating organs from deceased or living individuals. The increasing incidence of vital organ failure and the inadequate supply of organs, especially from cadavers, has created a wide gap between organ supply and organ demand, which has resulted in very long waiting times to receive an organ as well as an increasing number of deaths while waiting.Although the idea of organ transplantation is an old one, successful transplantation did not occur until the Twentieth Century. When different blood types and their respective compatibility or incompatibility, as well as a method of preserving blood, were discovered, blood transfusions became an accepted medical procedure. They were widely used during the First World War. Dr. Emmerich Ullmann experimented on dogs with kidney transplants in the early 1900's. He found that the transplanted organ functioned longer
What are the issues in organ donation in 2012?
Organ donation and transplantation (ODT) is a modern day success story: everything about it can be seen in a positive light. For the donor and their relatives, something good has emerged from a disaster.Despite this success, organ donation carries with it significant moral and ethical obligations. In most developed countries, organ donation is an entirely altruistic act irrespective of whether the donor is alive or dead.
Organ transplantation
Organ transplantation is the moving of an organ from one body to another or from a donor site to another location on the patient's own body, for the purpose of replacing the recipient's damaged or absent organ.Plastic Surgeons in Honolulu, HawaiiOrgans that can be transplanted are the heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas, intestine, and thymus. Tissues include bones, tendons (both referred to as musculoskeletal grafts), cornea, skin, heart valves, and veins. Worldwide, the kidneys are the most commonly transplanted organs, followed closely by the liver and then the heart
Organ and Tissue Donation
Modern surgical techniques have made it possible for someone to have diseased or damaged organs or tissues replaced with healthy ones from a living or dead donor. When the donor is living, there are naturally many limits on what can be transplanted, and organs like kidneys are the most common
Although more transplants are being performed in the U.S. each year, the waiting list continues to grow. Several factors contribute to the scarcity of organs:
- Demand for transplantation has increased as success rates have been expanded, transplant centers have proliferated, and more people are considered eligible for transplants.
- Age limits for heart and liver transplants have increased; diabetes is no longer an absolute contraindication; and people with alcohol-related liver failure are candidates at many centers.
- The number of people willing to donate organs has shown little growth in the recent past.
- Successful safety measures, such as speed limits and seat belts, have reduced the number of deaths where organ donation might have been possible.
- Fear of transmitting HIV and hepatitis has grown.
