Important Points to Know About Organ Donation

The Covid-19 pandemic, which has been affecting our country as well as the whole world for about two years, deeply affects especially patients waiting for organs. While the number of patients whose lives depend on organ transplantation is increasing, the decrease in organ donation from both living donors and cadavers during the pandemic process causes the chance of survival to be lost day by day. Acıbadem International Hospital Organ Transplant Center Nephrology Specialist Prof. Dr. Ülkem Çakır and Acıbadem International Hospital Organ Transplant Center Department Head and General Surgery Specialist Prof. Dr. İbrahim Berber, in the statement they made within the scope of 3-9 November Organ Donation Week, drew attention to the alarming of organ donation, and made important warnings and suggestions.

Kidney, liver, heart, pancreas, lung… In our country, 23 people still dream of clinging to life with the organ they hope to find at any moment. However, while sufficient organ donation cannot be made in our country, especially due to some wrong information, the chance of finding organs decreases rapidly when the concern of the Covid-919 pandemic, which has been going on for about two years, is added to this. Emphasizing that the only chance of treatment for patients with this diagnosis is organ transplants, while deaths due to end-stage organ failures are increasing gradually, Nephrology Specialist Prof. Dr. Ülkem Çakır said, “However, while 19 organ transplants were performed in our country in 2019, this number decreased to 5.760 in 2020. In the first ten months of this year, 3.852 transplants were performed.” Stating that the number of patients with advanced kidney failure who are still waiting for kidney transplantation in our country is 3.714 thousand, Prof. Dr. Ülkem Çakır says that there are 21 liver, 1.715 heart, 952 pancreas and 283 lung transplant patients awaiting transplantation.

Transplant surgery is done safely

Emphasizing that when the current rules determined by the Ministry of Health are followed, the examination and treatment of patients can be done safely. Dr. Ülkem Çakır says: “In addition to routine tests in organ transplants from living donors and brain-dead donors, Covid-19 antigen-antibody tests and compliance with isolation precautions make the process controlled. However, a significant decrease has been observed in the number of transplants from both living donors and cadavers since 19 in our country, which has been heavily exposed to the Covid-2020 pandemic along with the whole world. E.g; In 2019, 4.397 organ transplants were made from living donors and 1.363 from brain-dead donors. In the first 10 months of this year, of the 3.714 organ transplants, 3.260 were made from living donors and 454 from brain-dead donors.

Organ donation is the best legacy!

Emphasizing that the number of patients who need organ transplantation in Turkey is gradually increasing, Prof. Dr. İbrahim Berber also said, “Especially during the pandemic, it is difficult that we have to live. zammoments should not diminish our sensitivity to the importance of organ donation. Let's not forget that the best legacy we will leave is the organ donation we will make while we are alive. prof. Dr. İbrahim Berber emphasizes that Turkey has made rapid progress in organ transplant surgery in recent years, and is among the world's leading countries in transplant success with its experienced specialist and advanced technological infrastructure.