What do you think of the fact that organ transplantation is not always 100% successful due to not complete compatibility between donor and recipient?

Hmm, one of the after effects, if the transplantation was successful, is not being dead.
I think that is always worth it.

That’s the way the body rejects! And that is the risk one takes in a transplant. Such a person doesn’t have many options after that.

If you’re in such dire shape as to need an organ transplant then you’re pretty much dead without it. So yeah, it’s a bit of a gamble, but at that point you’ve got nothing to lose and the potential benefit far outweighs the potential risk.

@Darth_Algar: It’s a gamble even for the aftereffects.

”...the aftereffects of the transplantation are not always worthy of the action.”

I think the only person who can say that is the person whose body is rejecting or reacting to a transplant.

Five years ago I helped raise funds for a young woman who got a heart and lung transplant to address late stage Cystic Fibrosis. She has had problems the last six months from illnesses related to immuno-suppressors she takes to prevent rejection. Despite these problems, she is still glad to be alive; she would have otherwise have passed three or four years ago.

I think medically we do the best that we can.

@luigirovatti

And the after effects of not getting the transplant is that you die. Your call as to which you’d prefer.

What do I think of it? I think it’s regrettable. As usual with your questions, I’m perplexed over what YOU are thinking (asking).

@luigirovatti Yes, it’s a gamble. And a gamble you may win.
If you don’t even try, though, you lose, period.

@Dutchess_III: If there was a 50/50 chance, I’d agree. But a situation is going to be more probable than the other (aftereffects or not aftereffects). I bet there’re statistics who study these things.

@luigirovatti even if the chance is only 1%, that’s still better than 0%.

Of course there are statistics. You just need to google them.

@Dutchess_III: My belief is that is better a painless death, than a life of suffering. That’s the gamble.

Any kind of organ failure is going to be painful, so not opting for a transplant does not guarantee you a painless death.

If your body rejects the organ, it’s pretty quick. You don’t wind up with a whole life time, decades, of organ rejection.

@luigirovatti

And that would be your choice. Others will choose differently. However, the slow death of a major organ irrevocably failing on you is not going to be painless.

The most commonly transplanted organs are the heart, the liver, the lung, and the kidney.

According to the Mayo Clinic:

• Heart transplants have an 88% survival rate after one year and a 75% survival rate after five years.

* Liver transplants have about a 70% survival rate after five years.

• Lung transplants have about a 50% survival rate after five years.

Also according to the Mayo Clinic:

• Kidney transplants have a 4% failure rate after one year when the kidney comes from a deceased donor and a 3% failure rate after one year when the kidney comes from a living donor. This increases to a 21% failure rate after five years when the kidney comes from a deceased donor and a 14% failure rate after five years when the kidney comes from a living donor.

Note that one can survive without a kidney transplant with the help of a dialysis machine. This is why kidney transplants are usually discussed in terms of failure/rejection instead of in terms of survival.

The doctors won’t do a transplant with a poor chance at compatibility. They do a lot of analysis of the donor and recipient first.

However, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE COMPATIBLE TO DONATE FOR SOMEONE!! Through organ exchanges, they will find a home for your organ, and a match for your recipient.

—My brother needed a kidney
—I offered to donate
—Tests determined we are not compatible.
—My kidney was removed and flown to California
—A kidney for my brother was flown in the same day

By bringing in a donor, the recipient skips the typical years-long wait for an organ.

@Call_Me_Jay You’re a good brother and person for doing so.

Why would anybody possibly think that it would be 100% successful? You’re not replacing a tire for goodness sake. My best friend would be dead if it weren’t for a liver transplant.

@Caravanfan: I think that the final decision is up to the person who has a transplant, and to him/her only.

Of course, @luigirovatti.. That is a given. But that wasn’t the question.
So why are you arguing so hard against transplants?

@luigirovatti

Of course it’s up to the person. Why would it be otherwise? We don’t force people to get medical procedures they don’t want.