Organ Transplantation
Organ transplantation replaces a failing organ — most commonly the liver or kidney — with a healthy organ or tissue from a living or deceased donor. It is the definitive treatment for end-stage organ failure, restoring function that medication and dialysis can no longer maintain and offering a return to normal daily life.
Medically reviewed by the Florence Healthcare medical team · Last reviewed June 2026
Overview
Transplantation is a coordinated, multidisciplinary process rather than a single operation. Transplant surgeons, hepatologists or nephrologists, immunologists, anesthesiologists and intensive-care teams work together through evaluation, the transplant itself and lifelong follow-up. Living-donor and deceased-donor programs each follow strict suitability, compatibility and ethical criteria.
Before surgery, both recipient and any living donor undergo thorough assessment — blood typing, tissue matching, imaging and a full medical and psychological evaluation — to confirm the transplant is safe and appropriate. After surgery, immunosuppressive medication prevents the immune system from rejecting the new organ, and is taken for life under regular monitoring.
For patients travelling from abroad, a dedicated coordinator arranges the evaluation, a clear treatment plan and a transparent cost estimate before travel, and our specialists can review records remotely for complex cases. Donor and recipient are guided through every stage together.
Who is a candidate?
- Adults or children with end-stage organ failure where other treatments are no longer sufficient
- People with cirrhosis or acute liver failure (liver), or kidney failure on or approaching dialysis (kidney)
- Patients with certain blood cancers or marrow disorders who may need stem-cell (bone marrow) transplantation
- Those well enough to tolerate major surgery and committed to lifelong immunosuppression and follow-up
- Patients with a suitable, willing and healthy living donor, or who are eligible for a deceased-donor program
What happens
- 1
Evaluation and matching
You and any living donor complete blood typing, tissue (HLA) matching, imaging, and a full medical and psychological assessment to confirm suitability and safety before any transplant is scheduled.
- 2
Preparation
Your team optimizes your health for surgery, adjusts medications, and explains the operation, the recovery and the immunosuppression you will need afterwards.
- 3
The transplant
Under general anesthesia, the surgical team removes or bypasses the failing organ and implants the donor organ, connecting blood vessels and ducts. Bone-marrow transplant is given as an infusion after conditioning therapy.
- 4
Early recovery
You are monitored closely in intensive care and then on a transplant ward, where the team watches organ function and starts the immunosuppressive medication that prevents rejection.
- 5
Follow-up for life
Regular blood tests and clinic visits track organ function and medication levels. International patients receive a clear aftercare plan and can be supported remotely after returning home.
Benefits
- Can be life-saving and is the definitive treatment for end-stage organ failure
- Frees kidney recipients from long-term dialysis and its restrictions
- Restores organ function and, for most recipients, a return to normal daily activity
- Living-donor programs can shorten waiting time and allow planned, scheduled surgery
- Long-term outcomes are generally favorable with modern immunosuppression and monitoring
Risks & considerations
- Rejection of the donor organ, which is why immunosuppression and monitoring are lifelong
- Increased risk of infection because immunosuppressive drugs lower the body's defenses
- Surgical risks including bleeding, clots and complications with blood vessels or ducts
- Side effects of long-term immunosuppressive medication, which the team monitors and manages
- For living donors, the risks of a major operation, carefully weighed during evaluation
Conditions this treats
Where it is performed
This procedure is delivered by our Comprehensive Transplant Center.
Learn more before you decide
Provider-reviewed guides on the related conditions, symptoms and tests in our Health Library.
Organ Transplantation — frequently asked questions
Our center performs liver, kidney and bone marrow (stem-cell) transplantation, including living-donor liver and kidney programs, with the full evaluation and follow-up handled by one team.
In many cases, yes. A suitable, willing relative is carefully evaluated for blood type, tissue compatibility and overall health and safety before any living-donor procedure proceeds. Our team guides donor and recipient through the whole assessment.
Yes. Immunosuppressive medication prevents your body from rejecting the new organ and is taken for life, with regular blood tests to keep it at the right level. Your team explains the schedule and manages any side effects.
Yes. Share your medical reports and imaging and our specialists provide an independent opinion on whether transplantation is appropriate, before you commit to travel.
Transplantation usually means around one to three weeks in hospital plus further recovery and follow-up locally — your coordinator confirms the exact timeline. We provide a transparent, itemized cost estimate after reviewing your case, listing evaluation, surgery, hospital stay, donor work-up where relevant, and follow-up. We do not quote fixed prices online because each plan is individual.
Related treatments
Considering organ transplantation?
Share your reports for a medical second opinion and a transparent, itemized cost estimate — usually within 48 hours.