Download What is organ transplantation?

Organ Transplantation
What is organ transplantation?
Organ transplantation is a surgical procedure to replace a failing, diseased organ with a healthier donor organ,
such as a heart, liver, kidney, or lung. Donor organs can come from deceased donors, which is always the case in
heart transplants, or from living donors, which can happen in kidney, liver, and, rarely, lung transplants.
How common is organ transplantation?
In 2010, the list of Canadians waiting for an organ transplant grew to over 4,000 people. In the previous year,
1,803 transplants were performed. Of those, more than 3 in 4 were kidney transplants. Also, unfortunately, 195
Canadians died while waiting for an organ transplant in 2009.
Who gets an organ transplant?
Organ transplantation is the last resort for a person with a failing or diseased organ. In children, it is usually due to
a birth defect in the organ, such as the heart. In adults, it can be a result of a disease, such as cancer, or because
of accumulated damage to the organ over time due to other conditions, such as heart disease, high blood
pressure, or diabetes. Usually, other treatments are tried first, such as medications for the underlying disease, or
changes to diet and lifestyle. A lot depends on the organ that is failing, and for what reasons.
Organ transplantation is considered on an individual basis. For some patients, it is a life-saving option, while
other patients may be deemed poor candidates for a transplant. For example, heart transplantation is not always
considered beneficial for patients who are over 65, have poor blood circulation, are unwilling or unable to make the
necessary lifestyle changes to keep their donor heart healthy, or who have another medical condition considered
life-threatening despite the transplant.
What are the risks associated with organ transplantation?
Again, this depends on the type of transplant you receive. Of course, with a major surgery like this, there are
complications associated with the procedure that are fairly common to all transplants, including:
•Blood clots
•Bleeding
•Infection
•Organ failure
However, the most significant risk with any transplantation is rejection of the organ by your body (see What is
organ rejection?). You will be given anti-rejection medications to reduce this risk, but these medications carry
their own risks of side-effects, including, but not limited to:
•Bone thinning
•Diabetes
•Diarrhea
•High blood pressure
•Nausea
•Increased cancer risk
•Increased risk of infection
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Organ Transplantation
What is organ rejection?
Your immune system is equipped to identify foreign objects in your body as threats, and to try to eliminate them.
This process allows your body to fend off bacteria and viruses, but it also kicks in when you receive a donor organ
transplant, and can lead to organ rejection.
Some degree of rejection occurs with every transplant, but it may or may not cause physical problems. It is
common for a transplant recipient to experience one acute episode of rejection in the first year following surgery,
but it can also occur years after. Of real concern to organ recipients is a condition called chronic (ongoing)
rejection, in which the transplanted organ gradually loses its ability to function.
Anti-rejection medication is taken for a lifetime following transplantation to help reduce the chances or organ
rejection (see How to prevent organ rejection).
How to prevent organ rejection
If you have received an organ transplant, it is essential that you do everything possible to lead a healthy life and try
to prevent rejection. Over time, your risk of rejecting the organ goes down, but it never actually disappears. You
will receive anti-rejection medications for the rest of your life to help prevent rejection.
Anti-rejection medications, also called immunosuppressants, work by reducing your immune system response to
unrecognized materials that enter your body. Your therapy will work to achieve an important balance between an
immune response: one that is too weak to reject your organ, but strong enough to prevent serious infections. To
achieve this balance, you may be placed on a combination of medications.
What are the signs and symptoms of rejection?
The signs and symptoms of rejection may vary depending on the organ transplanted, and on whether it is acute or
chronic rejection. Here are some of the symptoms to look out for:
• Pain or tenderness over the transplant site
•Swelling
•Fever
•Flu-like symptoms such as chills, nausea, headache and fatigue
•Change in your heart rate
•Weight gain
Living with an organ transplant
As an organ transplant recipient, you will deal with unique health challenges depending on the organ received,
and any specific medical conditions you may have. Most patients enjoy a full recovery, and can return to work and
resume a normal, active life following recovery from surgery.
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Organ Transplantation
The following are a few tips to consider as you move forward in your life as a healthy organ transplant recipient:
1. Eat a balanced diet. A healthy diet will help you heal after surgery, and keep you at a healthy weight for
the rest of your life. Your diet should include plenty of fruits and vegetables, little salt, lots of fibre, as little
fat and oil as possible, protein from meats and dairy products, and little to no alcohol, as recommended by
your doctor. Maintaining your weight with smart food choices and portions will help you reduce your risk of
developing heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.
2. Build exercise into your lifestyle. Following surgery, your need to recover your strength and fitness. Surgery
will limit your ability to be active. When you begin to feel better, introducing regular exercise into your life will
help you regain your strength. You will need to increase your activity slowly at first, and with breaks during the
activities, but this should improve over time. Your doctor will be able to recommend the best exercise plan for
your condition.
3. Be mindful of your mood. Because of the changes in your life following a transplant, you may find yourself
feeling more nervous or stressed than normal, or even depressed. There is no quick fix for these feelings, but
there are healthcare professionals who can help.
4. Listen to your body. Your surgery means you have new health challenges to face, and a very good reason
to manage them carefully–your new organ. If you notice any of the signs and symptoms of rejection (see
What are the signs and symptoms of rejection?), you should take them seriously. Also, if you suspect an
infection of any kind, including a cold, you should heed your doctor’s recommendations to deal with it quickly
and decisively. You can no longer afford to simply let things take their own course.
5. Develop strategies to take your medications as prescribed. You may be taking several medications
following a transplant, and making sure you take them in the right amounts and at the right times is an
important part of your treatment. Getting into a routine to help you take them properly each day and
organizing them into a pill box can be helpful. Also, using a calendar to remind you to refill your prescriptions
before they run out is important, as is keeping track of how much of each medication you have left. Don’t be
afraid to have family or friends help with this if you find it difficult.
6. Stick with your treatment plan. This means taking your doctor’s advice to heart about lifestyle changes,
medications, testing (either in a clinic or at home), and medical appointments.
7. Get support. Of course, your family and friends will be there to support you during the transplantation
process and beyond. But you should consider finding a support group in your area or online for people in
the same situation as you, or who have gone through it all before. You could learn new coping strategies,
hear about what may lie ahead for you, and get a chance to air your concerns and successes with fellow
patients. A support group may help comfort you or give you more confidence, and you may even meet a
new friend or two.
Learning as much as possible about your condition–and actively working with your health care professionals–are
effective ways to regain control over your life. There is a great deal of information out there that can help. Check
out some of the websites listed below to get started.
Empowering both the patient and the caregiver
Patients as well as their caregivers can access the following sites to find out more information about organ
transplantation and life after surgery, as well as recent related scientific discoveries.
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Resources
Helpful information and support networks on the internet:
1. Canadian Association of Transplantation (www.transplant.ca)
2. Canadian Transplant Association (www.organ-donation-works.org)
3. Kidney Foundation of Canada (www.kidney.ca)
4. Canadian Liver Foundation (www.liver.ca)
5. Canadian Lung Association (www.lung.ca)
6. Heart & Stroke Foundation (www.heartandstroke.com)
7. The David Foster Foundation (www.davidfosterfoundation.org)
8. University of Michigan Transplant Center (www.transweb.org)
8. Transplant Living (www.transplantliving.org)
9. International Pediatric Transplant Association (www.iptaonline.org)
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