Perfusion of donor organs
Perfusion machines are specialised devices that keep donor organs "alive" outside the human body by circulating fluid through the organ's blood vessels.
These machines have several main functions:
Temperature control: The machine maintains an optimal temperature (usually hypothermic or normothermic) to reduce metabolic activity and prevent tissue damage.
Fluid circulation: A special perfusion solution containing oxygen, nutrients and other important components circulates through the organ, keeping it vital.
Maintaining physiological conditions: Some machines can mimic the organ's natural conditions.
Lung transplantation is an opportunity of rescuing life of patients whose respiratory failure is serious and all other therapeutic measures have been unsuccessful in treating the following diseases:
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Cystic fibrosis.
- Pulmonary fibrosis (connective tissue disease).
- Bronchiectasis
- Exogenous allergic alveolitis (allergic inflammation of air sacs).
- Sarcoidosis (inflammatory disease with changes in tissues).
- Pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the pulmonary blood vessels).
Lung transplantation requires an especially precise matching of the height and the weight of a donor and a recipient, as well as careful preparation of a donor. If the heart has been damaged by the pulmonary disease already, combined heart and lung transplantation may be required.
A liver transplant is a complex surgical procedure for patients with severe liver diseases such as cirrhosis, liver cancer or acute liver failure. During the operation, the diseased liver is replaced by a healthy donor liver. The donor liver can come from a recently deceased person or from a living donor who donates part of his or her liver. Liver transplantation is often a life-saving procedure that can significantly improve patients' quality of life.
A kidney transplant is a surgical procedure for patients with kidney failure, when the kidneys can no longer function properly. During the operation, an unhealthy kidney is replaced by a healthy donor kidney, which can be taken from a living or deceased donor. A living donor kidney is often a better choice because it usually starts functioning faster and has a longer life span. Kidney transplantation can significantly improve the quality of life and longevity of patients by allowing them to live without dialysis.