Expanding the population of lung transplant donors
Expanding the population of lung transplant donors
As I held my own breath each passing second waiting for that gasp of air and that little faint cry to come from the most beautiful 8lb 9oz of life I have ever encountered, to watching my Mother hold the head of a little brown eyed boy and coaching him through each inhale, to holding the wrinkling strong hand of an Uncle who I admired growing up laying in his death bed as he struggled to take a breath after forty years of work inside a mountain to provide for his family. These moments are the harsh reality of something we each take for granted every day, the ability to take a breath easily. The human physiology is a topic I’ve always found intriguing and desired to understand more about. Over the years and learning more about the different functions of the human organs, I found that the lungs seem to comprise the most interest for me. To understand exactly how this organ has the ability to control our entire system with just processing oxygen and expelling other gases out of our system is amazing. This is part of the reason I have chosen the career path of respiratory therapy. I feel with my background and experience in the field of psychology pared with the knowledge and expertise I shall gain, will be beneficial in critical moments while gaining the rapport needed with patients during treatments.
Organ transplantation is moving an organ from one body to another in an attempt to replace the receipts damaged or absent organ [1]. Lung transplants are not common because of the small current number of possible donors and also being a “last resort” treatment for individuals whom have had severe disease with no other options available [2]. Once an individual’s physician has completed testing and agreed for this option, the individual will be placed into a medical center’s transplant program while also being listed in the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network 's (OPTN 's) national waiting list. An
As I held my own breath each passing second waiting for that gasp of air and that little faint cry to come from the most beautiful 8lb 9oz of life I have ever encountered, to watching my Mother hold the head of a little brown eyed boy and coaching him through each inhale, to holding the wrinkling strong hand of an Uncle who I admired growing up laying in his death bed as he struggled to take a breath after forty years of work inside a mountain to provide for his family. These moments are the harsh reality of something we each take for granted every day, the ability to take a breath easily. The human physiology is a topic I’ve always found intriguing and desired to understand more about. Over the years and learning more about the different functions of the human organs, I found that the lungs seem to comprise the most interest for me. To understand exactly how this organ has the ability to control our entire system with just processing oxygen and expelling other gases out of our system is amazing. This is part of the reason I have chosen the career path of respiratory therapy. I feel with my background and experience in the field of psychology pared with the knowledge and expertise I shall gain, will be beneficial in critical moments while gaining the rapport needed with patients during treatments.
Organ transplantation is moving an organ from one body to another in an attempt to replace the receipts damaged or absent organ [1]. Lung transplants are not common because of the small current number of possible donors and also being a “last resort” treatment for individuals whom have had severe disease with no other options available [2]. Once an individual’s physician has completed testing and agreed for this option, the individual will be placed into a medical center’s transplant program while also being listed in the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network 's (OPTN 's) national waiting list. An
References: [1] Organ Transplantation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organ_transplantation [2] What is a lung transplant? http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/lungtxp/ [3] Society of Thoracic Surgeons. (2014, October 1). Non-traditional donor lungs appear safe for transplant. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 9, 2014 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141001085955.htm[4] Penn Transplant Institute(2014). Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion (EVLP). Retrieved October 9, 2014 from http://www.pennmedicine.org/transplant/patient-care/transplant-programs/lung-transplant/ex-vivo-lung-perfusion.html[5]Clinical Trials (2014) Novel Lung Trial: Normothermic Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion (Evlp) As An Assessment Of Extended/Marginal Donor Lungs. Retrieved October 9, 2014 from http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01365429