Organs & Tissues Transplant?

 1.What is Transplantation?

Transplantation is the act of surgical removal of an organ from one person and placing it into another person. Transplantation is needed when the recipient’s organ has failed or has been damaged due to illness or injury.

2. Is there any insurance cover for organ transplant costs?

Till few years back, transplant cost both for donor as well as recipient was not covered by most of the insurance companies. Now a day many insurance companies are covering cost related to transplant. It will be better to be sure when you are going for insurance.

3. Is there any age limit to be registered for transplant?

Yes, patient should be fit for transplant and age is one of the criteria for assessing fitness of patient for transplant.

4. How long it will take to get a cadaver’s organ?

There is no time line on how long one will have to wait for an organ that the individual requires. This depends on his/her medical situation and how frequently organs are becoming available in a city or state.

5. Do I have option other than organ transplant?

This query can only be answered by the treating doctor depending upon medical condition and stage of damage of the organ. For example in a case of kidney failure, dialysis is an alternative treatment and for kidney failure patient transplant is usually not an emergency. Also, for a heart failure patient, some patients can be maintained on artificial cardiac assistive devices. Similarly for other organs criterias are different, that can be maintained on medical therapies for the time being.

6.If I get a call for transplant, will I definitely get the organ?

No, getting a call for transplant does not mean that you will definitely receive an organ. The transplant team will examine your immediate fitness for transplant. There is possibility that the tests done just before possible transplant may not be normal to make you fit for transplant. Further, more than one patient is called for possible transplant and it may be a chance that someone else will be more fit than you for that particular organ transplant.