| Section 1: Introduction to Transplantation | Section 4: Liver Transplant |
| Section 2: Heart Transplant | Section 5: Lung Transplant |
| Section 3: Kidney Transplant | Section 6: Pancreas Transplant |
Introduction to Transplantation
Important! Nothing on this page is medical advice. If you need a transplant, please seek the advice and care of qualified transplant physicians. This is a general source of information and does not represent a medical opinion or recommendation.
What is transplantation?
Transplantation takes place when an organ from one person is surgically removed, and placed into another person. It is a treatment in situations where a person's organ has failed because of illness or injury. Replacing the organ may be the only treatment choice for the patient or the best among several options.
What organs can be transplanted?
Solid organs that are transplanted include:
In some cases, two organs are transplanted at once. Examples of this are:
- heart-lung
- kidney-pancreas
Tissues that can be transplanted include:
- cornea
- bone
- cartilage
- skin
- heart valves
- saphenous vein
How quickly must an organ be transplanted?
Time is very important in organ transplantation. Most organs need to be transplanted within a few hours after removal from the donor. Some organs must be transplanted more quickly than others. This table shows the allowable time between retrieving the organ from the donor and transplanting the organ into a recipient. The table compares this allowable time (cold ischemia time) for the majority of transplanted organs.
| Cold Ischemia Time for Solid Organ Transplantation |
|
| Organ | Allowable Time from Donor to Recipient (hours) |
| Heart | 4 to 5 |
| Kidney | 15 to 18 |
| Liver | 12 to 18 |
| Lung | 5 to 6 |
| Pancreas | 12 to 15 |
Where do the organs come from?
Most transplanted organs are taken from the bodies of people who have died
(cadaveric or deceased donor transplantation). However, organs such as kidney and
segments of liver can be taken from living organ donors who may be family members
or friends of the person who needs the transplant. Organs are removed by surgeons
in a sterile operating room just like any other operation. The identification of
deceased donors and coordination of organ retrieval by the surgical teams is the responsibility of 59 Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) across the U.S. Each OPO has a geographic region within which it serves hospitals where potential donors have been identified.
What factors determine which patient will receive a particular donor organ?
Everybody who is a candidate for a cadaveric organ transplant in the U.S. is placed on a
national waiting list. There are specific government regulations that guide the allocation
process. Under a government contract, the nation's Organ Procurement and Transplantation
Network formulates allocation policy based on input from transplant professionals, patients,
donor groups, and the public. Ultimately, these policies determine, for any given donor,
which waiting patient has the highest priority. The rules are fairly complicated and vary
by organ type. Two major issues are considered: allocation rules and geographic
distribution. Generally, when an organ becomes available, it is allocated to the person
on the local OPO's waitlist who has the most urgent need (liver and heart) combined with
other medical considerations and ranking of patients according to who has been waiting the
longest time. Organs are usually offered first to patients waiting at transplant centers
within the OPO's service area, then to patients in that OPO's region (there are 11
defined geographic regions in the U.S.), and then to patients anywhere else in the U.S.
For more specifics on current allocation policies, please go to the website of the The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.
What is involved in getting a solid organ transplant?
Transplantation experiences vary between organ types. We have provided separate information on transplants of the following organs:
