What Is Deceased-Donor Liver Transplantation?
Deceased-donor liver transplantation involves transplanting a whole liver obtained from a brain-dead donor into a patient with chronic liver failure who is on the deceased-donor waiting list. Increasing the number of deceased-donor transplants should be a priority in expanding access to organ transplantation.
Requirements for Deceased-Donor Organ Donation
Deceased-donor organ donation is subject to certain legal and medical requirements:
- Brain death must have occurred under intensive care conditions, with the diagnosis confirmed by a committee of specialist physicians.
- The donor should not have liver disease, active infection, cancer, or communicable diseases such as viral hepatitis, according to the source's eligibility criteria.
- Even if the individual consented to organ donation while alive, the source states that organs cannot be retrieved without authorization from their legal next of kin.
Application Process for Deceased-Donor Liver Transplantation
Patients wishing to receive a deceased-donor liver transplant must first apply to an Organ Transplantation Center and meet its Transplant Coordinator. Documents such as identification, proof of blood group, and a clinical discharge summary are requested. This information is recorded in a patient file, which is examined by the Organ Transplantation Council. If the patient is found suitable, they are entered on the National Waiting List.
Examinations and laboratory tests must be repeated at specified intervals during the waiting period. During this time, patients must inform the Transplant Coordinator of any changes in their health. The objective is to transplant the most suitable liver to the most suitable patient under the best possible conditions.
Situations That Must Be Reported
People on a waiting list must inform the center if any of the following occur:
- Admission to any hospital for treatment or investigations
- Development of an infectious disease
- Change of address or telephone number
- Plans to stay outside their city for a prolonged period
When You Receive a Call for Deceased-Donor Transplantation
If you are called for a transplant, pay attention to these important points:
- Reach the transplantation center as quickly as possible.
- Do not eat or drink after receiving the call.
- Bring your health insurance documents, identification, and current medications.
- Bring your most recent laboratory and test results, if available.
- Remember that being called does not guarantee you will receive the liver. The transplant proceeds only if suitability tests give medical approval.
Changing Organ Transplantation Centers
A patient can be registered at only one transplantation center at a time. However, they may request a change whenever they wish. They need to contact the Transplant Coordinator at their preferred center and submit a written application. After the request is forwarded to the Ministry of Health, the registration is transferred to the new center.
Registering as an Organ Donor During Your Lifetime
Organ donation is entirely voluntary. In Türkiye, all brain-death cases are monitored by the National Organ and Tissue Transplantation Coordination Center. After brain death is diagnosed, the coordinator at the relevant hospital contacts the person's relatives. If the relatives consent, medical tests are performed to establish whether donation is suitable.
How to Apply to Become an Organ Donor
Anyone aged 18 or older with decision-making capacity may become an organ donor. Applications can be made to health directorates, organ transplant coordinators in public or private hospitals, or primary healthcare facilities. An application form is completed, a donor card is issued, and this information is recorded in the Ministry of Health system.
However, the donor card alone is not sufficient for donation to take place. According to the source, the final decision also depends on consent from relatives. It is therefore important to discuss your donation wishes with family members. People may later withdraw their consent to donation.
Organ Donation Week and Awareness
Organ Donation Week is observed in Türkiye each year from November 3 to 9 to raise public awareness. Despite all efforts, the number of deceased donors remains very low and thousands of patients are on waiting lists. Because there is no comparable long-term replacement treatment for liver failure, living-donor liver transplantation is often the only available option.