Speaking at the Organ Donation Week event held at Bezmiâlem Vakıf University, Prof. Dr. Adem Akçakaya underlined that the number of organ donations is still not at the desired level and said, “We must explain the concept of 'brain death' and the organ transplantation process to the public well.”
Speaking at the conference, which was held under the coordination of the University's Organ Transplant Center and mainly focused on the concept of "brain death", Prof. Dr. Adem Akçakaya reminded that only a quarter of the families of patients with brain death allow organ donation and said, “You cannot cure someone who has died medically and bring them back to life. But you can save dozens of lives with that person's organs. Relatives of patients with brain death have difficulty in accepting this situation. For this reason, we need to explain the concept of 'brain death' and the organ transplantation process to the public accurately and clearly.
Rector Prof. Dr. Kazancıoğlu: “Organs should not be soil”
Making the opening speech of the event, Bezmiâlem Vakif University Rector Prof. Dr. Rümeyza Kazancıoğlu started her speech by expressing her happiness that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, events that are usually held online can now be held face-to-face. Rector, who is also a kidney disease specialist, Prof. Dr. Kazancıoğlu noted that one out of every 7 people in Turkey has chronic kidney disease. Reminding that 75 thousand kidney patients are still on dialysis, Prof. Dr. Kazancıoğlu said, “This figure means that 80 percent of end-stage kidney patients are on dialysis. The remaining 20 percent are in the organ transplant process. On the other hand, kidney transplantation from a living donor has reached 90 percent, but unfortunately it is not possible to talk about this rate in donations from cadavers. Moreover, there is no chance like dialysis in other vital organs. For example, we know that patients with heart failure and waiting for an organ transplant continue their lives with devices the size of a suitcase. That's why we say 'Organs should not be soil'. prof. Dr. Kazancıoğlu concluded his speech by thanking everyone who contributed to the event.
prof. Dr. Akçakaya: “pandemic has also hit organ donation”
Afterwards, he made a presentation titled "Surgical Evaluation and Expectations in Brain Death". Dr. Adem Akçakaya shared various data on organ donation in Turkey in his presentation in which he explained the concept of “brain death” and the organ transplantation process in depth. Pointing out that the total organ donation rate, which nearly doubled in 2019, decreased dramatically in 2020 with the pandemic process. Dr. Akçakaya said, "In this sense, we can say that the pandemic has also hit organ donation." Noting that every patient with chronic kidney failure should be considered as a potential organ transplant candidate, Prof. Dr. Akçakaya underlined that it is a wishful situation for the organ transplant to be performed before the patient starts the dialysis process. Pointing out that the rate of living donors in kidney transplantation is much higher than the rate of transplantation from cadavers, Prof. Dr. Akçakaya then shared the criteria for donor selection and kidney selection. Explaining that last year, a total of 56 patients from all over Turkey and the world were transplanted at the Bezmiâlem Vakıf University Organ Transplant Center, Prof. Dr. Akçakaya said, “Our team consists of highly competent and successful friends. If necessary, we have a team that is competent enough to go to the donor's location, take the organ from the donor, bring it to the recipient under appropriate conditions and complete the transplantation. After all, this is a work of the heart. Those who have come into contact with this area in some way during their studentship cannot leave the organ transplant processes again," he concluded.
Assoc. Dr. Dashkaya: “We cannot understand brain death without understanding death”
prof. Dr. After Akçakaya, Bezmiâlem Vakıf University Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation Faculty Member Assoc. Dr. Hayrettin Dashkaya made a presentation titled “Approach to the Concept of Brain Death and Diagnostic Criteria”. Starting his words by saying, "We cannot understand brain death without understanding death," Assoc. Dr. Dashkaya explained criteria such as “deep coma, absence of reflexes, absence of natural respiration” that should be evaluated for the diagnosis of brain death. Underlining that brain death is a clear, understandable, objective, reliable and well-defined concept, Assoc. Dr. Dashkaya said, “However, sometimes we have difficulties in explaining this situation to the relatives of the patients. From time to time, people say, 'I wonder if there is no brain death, but do they say this just to take our patient's organs and use them in transplantation?' they are worried. From time to time, such movements are produced through social media or otherwise. For example, when we explain the situation to a relative of a patient who has brain death, that person can immediately call another health professional he knows and ask for their opinions. Unfortunately, we have witnessed health workers who say 'Do not accept' in such cases," he said.
Neurological and radiological detection of brain death
After coming to the podium, Specialist from Bezmialem Vakif University Medical Faculty Hospital Neurology Department. Dr. Aslı Yaman Kula, in her presentation titled "Neurological Processes and Evaluation in Brain Death", explained in detail the confirmation of the neurological and nervous system status of the patient diagnosed with brain death. Afterwards, Lecturer from Bezmiâlem Vakıf University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiology, who made a presentation on “Radiological Evaluation in Brain Death”. See. Dr. Serdar Balsak, on the other hand, shared information on the determination of the condition of the patient diagnosed with brain death by radiological imaging techniques.
The event, which aims to spread organ donation and raise public awareness about the issue, is of great importance in terms of returning many patients to life.
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