Organ Transplantation

Abstract

The first successful transplant of an organ into a human recipient was performed in 1954, with the transplant of a human kidney. This was followed in 1966 with the first simultaneous kidney–pancreas transplant, and then in 1969 with the first successful pancreas transplant. These innovations were accompanied in 1983 by the first successful single‐lung transplant, and in 1986 by the first successful double‐lung transplant; the first successful intestine transplant was performed in 1987. The first successful womb transplant was carried out in 2000. These breakthroughs in organ transplantation were enabled by both developments in surgical techniques and advances in medical technology. For example, in 1969 the first liquid for successfully preserving tissues and organs in cold storage was developed. This was followed in 1979 with the development of the Belzer UW storage solution designed to preserve kidneys for transplant, and in 1983 with the development of cyclosporine, a drug that suppresses the human body's immune system. In 1988 these developments were supplemented by the development of elective ventilation, which allows medical personnel to keep coma victims who are near death alive long enough for their organs to be harvested for transplant. Despite these advances in medical technology, not everyone who needs an organ transplant receives one, for there is a significant shortfall in human organs of all types available for transplantation. No country that relies exclusively on altruistic donation has secured enough organs for transplant to meet the medical needs of its population.