About 2 Thousand People Expect Liver Donation Every Year

Although the liver has the ability to regenerate itself, some diseases and alcohol can lead to the development of failure in this organ. The only treatment for liver failure is organ transplantation! Every year in our country, approximately 2 people expect donations to survive, but donations do not meet this need.

Acıbadem University Atakent Hospital General Surgery Specialist Assoc. Dr. Tonguç Utku Yılmaz said, “According to the statistics of 10 years in our country; The number of liver transplants performed in a year ranges from 700 to 80. Therefore, it cannot meet all of the transplant needs. In addition, the vast majority of these transplants are made from a living donor. Of the 121 transplant surgeries performed this year, only XNUMX were performed from cadavers. However, nearly a thousand brain deaths occur every year. Misinformation about brain death, which is an irreversible process, prevents people from donating organs. For this reason, it is of great importance to keep the society informed on issues such as brain death and organ transplantation. General Surgery Specialist Assoc. Dr. Tonguç Utku Yılmaz is calling for organ donation.

It may not show any symptoms until the last moment!

The liver as the organ responsible for vital functions; It balances hormones, produces protein and bile acid, synthesizes factors responsible for blood clotting. In addition, it purifies harmful substances entering the body and cleans alcohol, drugs and aged blood cells. However, General Surgery Specialist Assoc. Dr. Tonguç Utku Yılmaz says: “Although the liver is an organ that can regenerate itself, it can lose this feature due to the increasing damage. This can lead to liver failure symptoms such as nausea, weakness, yellowing of the skin and eyes, excessive fluid accumulation in the abdomen, edema and itching in the legs. On the other hand, it can progress without any symptoms until the last moment. This shows the importance of regular check-ups for people in the risk group.”

Organ transplantation is the only solution for liver failure.

Unfortunately, patients waiting for liver transplantation do not have the chance of a dialysis-like treatment that kidney patients have. Therefore, the only solution for liver failure is organ transplantation. These patients are hospitalized very frequently due to signs of insufficiency and their quality of life decreases. Pointing out that impaired liver functions also increase the risk of cancer, Assoc. Dr. Tonguç Utku Yılmaz gives the following information regarding the damage to other organs: “Ascites accumulates in the abdomen of patients and this acid needs to be emptied from time to time. There may be a risk of life-threatening bleeding due to esophageal bleeding. Blurring of consciousness, called encephalopathy, also develops as a result of liver failure. Sometimes patients go into a coma and stay in intensive care for a long time. In addition, kidney and lung failure due to liver failure can also be seen.

During the pandemic period, donation and transportation decreased

Noting that the number of people diagnosed with brain death has decreased due to the fact that intensive care services are generally reserved for Covid-19 cases during the pandemic period, General Surgery Specialist Assoc. Dr. Tonguç Utku Yılmaz points out that this means a decrease in organ donation. In addition, Assoc. Dr. Tonguç Utku Yılmaz said, “Unfortunately, the factors that may prevent the approval of families after brain death are due to insufficient information. For example, the fear of 'They will kill before they die' and thoughts about the deterioration of bodily integrity are very effective. However, brain death is a situation that is easily diagnosed by the committee and different from vegetative life, and it is irreversible. It is very important to donate to help patients who are waiting for organs to return to their normal lives by taking one drug a day for the rest of their lives, after the surgical success of 90%.