Kidney Transplantation Reflection

Note: Make sure you have watched the attached Google Classroom videos and the article too. This will
give you the required background to thoughtfully respond to the questions below.

1. Should insurance companies/medical institutions pay for an organ transplant if there is a

chance that the patient will not be able to pay for the medication that follows (immune system
suppression meds)? Make sure you are specific with your reasoning and write at least 5 full
sentences. Afterwards, post this to the question post on GC.
Personally, I believe that insurance companies and medical institutions should aid the patient
towards paying for an organ transplant even if the patient is incapable of paying for the
medication that follows the transplant due to the fact that it saves an individual’s life from
terminal organ failure and transforms the overall quality of their life. The drugs utilized that
follow the organ transplant prevent organ rejection and could potentially lead to deadly
consequences if they are unable to get access to the medication. These immune system
suppression medications are of significant importance as matches are very rare indicating that
patients need the option to have access to the medication. Letting the patient slowly die purely
based on the fact that they have no coverage for the medication is morally wrong. In a life or
death situation, there is a fine line between rejection and infection and life is worth much more
than any amount of money.

2. Please summarize the video “Why do Organ Transplants Fail So Often?” in a paragraph or two.
Make sure to include ideas from the entire video.
Organ transplants are performed countless times each year and save people’s lives, but many of
these transplants are rejected from the host’s body. Matches are rare and rejections occur very often
such as with the difficult transplants including the kidney having a 70% chance of success. With an
individual receiving an organ transplant, there are different types of rejections that may occur:
hyperacute, acute, and chronic. Rejection occurs throughout the years after having the surgery. Our
immune system is incapable of distinguishing between a new organ or a virus making it difficult to find
a donor. Signs that our body is rejecting the organ include swelling, redness, and overall feeling unwell.
With immunosuppressive drugs, it aids in lowering the immune system to prevent the body from
rejecting the new organ.

3. Why are transplanted organs often rejected, when placed in another patient? Be specific.
Transplanted organs rarely match and are often rejected when placed in another due to the fact
that our body recognizes the transplanted organ as foreign and a possible danger to ourselves
which leads to our immune system attempting to destroy the organ. An important part of our
immune system that contributes towards the rejection of the organ is the major
histocompatibility complex (MHC). The MHC’s role is to differentiate between which is our
body’s cell and what is foreign. There are many gene combinations on the MHC which makes
finding an organ donor difficult and leads towards the destruction of the foreign organ.

4. What are two questions you have about organ transplantation that are not answered in the
videos or article?

a. What medical tests are done and factors are considered when determining a possible organ
donor for the transplant to be performed?

b. Who has first priority for an organ transplant?