Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
9
Organ
Transplantation
ORGAN TRANSPLANT SUCCESSES AND FAILURES
It has been over 50 years since the first successful human organ
transplant was done—a kidney transplanted from one identical twin
to another—and the procedure has become almost routine. The
list of organs transplanted includes not just kidneys, but hearts,
livers, lungs, and the pancreas (Figure 9.1). The number of trans-
plants performed is impressive, considering both how complicated
the surgery is and how strong a fight the immune system launches
against the new organ. More than 325,000 transplants were per-
formed in the United States from 1988 through August 2004. The
average number per year is now about 25,000. Kidney transplants
account for more than half of all transplants; liver transplants make
up about 20%, hearts 10%, and lungs 5%. The number of trans-
plants may seem large, but an even bigger number includes those
people who are on a waiting list for an organ—more than 86,000
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