Transplantation for the General Surgeon: History of Transplantation, End-organ Disease, Organ Donation and Allocation, and Transplantation Regulation and Ethics

Abstract

This chapter provides a glimpse of the complex regulatory, financial, ethical, and procedural aspects of transplantation. The general surgeon should appreciate the evolution of the field as seen through a brief review of its history as well as its evolving self-governance as manifested through national policies. Knowledge of the process of organ donation is important for any practitioner as is an understanding of the burden of end-organ disease. This review contains 2 figures, 1 table and references. Key Words: brain death, donation after cardiac death, epidemiology and costs of end-organ disease, history of immunosuppression, history of transplantation, living donation, organ allocation, organ donation, transplantation ethics, transplantation regulation