Transplantatsioonis

Transplantatsioonis refers to the process of organ or tissue transplantation in Estonian. This medical procedure involves surgically removing an organ or tissue from one person, known as the donor, and placing it into another person, the recipient, whose own organ or tissue is damaged or diseased. The goal of transplantation is to restore or improve the recipient's health and quality of life.

The most common types of transplants include kidney, liver, heart, lung, and pancreas transplants. Tissues such as corneas, skin, and bone marrow can also be transplanted. Donors can be deceased or living. Living donation is often associated with organs like kidneys or parts of the liver, where a healthy individual can donate one of their paired organs or a portion of an organ. Deceased donation typically involves multiple organs and tissues from an individual who has been declared brain dead.

A critical aspect of transplantation is organ matching. The recipient's immune system can recognize the transplanted organ as foreign and attempt to reject it. To minimize this risk, extensive testing is performed to match the donor and recipient based on factors like blood type and tissue compatibility (human leukocyte antigen, or HLA, typing). Immunosuppressant medications are administered to the recipient after the transplant to help prevent their immune system from attacking the new organ. While transplantation can be life-saving, it is a complex medical intervention with inherent risks and requires lifelong medical management.