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- DictionaryTrans·plant
verb
- 1. move or transfer (something) to another place or situation, typically with some effort or upheaval: "his endeavor to transplant people from Russia to the Argentine"
noun
- 1. an operation in which an organ or tissue is transplanted: "a heart transplant"
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Learn the meaning of transplant as a verb and a noun, with examples of usage and word history. Find out how to cite, translate, and play with the word transplant.
A surgical procedure in a human or animal in which a body tissue or organ is transferred from a donor to a recipient or from one part of the body to another. Heart, lung, liver, kidney, corneal, and bone-marrow transplants are performed to treat life-threatening illness.
Learn the meaning of transplant as a verb and a noun, with synonyms, collocations, and usage examples. Find out how to pronounce transplant and translate it in different languages.
- Overview
- Transplants and grafts
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transplant, in medicine, a section of tissue or a complete organ that is removed from its original natural site and transferred to a new position in the same person or in a separate individual. The term, like the synonym graft, was borrowed from horticulture. Both words imply that success will result in a healthy and flourishing graft or transplant...
Transplants of animal tissue have figured prominently in mythology since the legend of the creation of Eve from one of Adam’s ribs. Historical accounts of surgical tissue grafting as part of the cure of patients date back to the early Hindu surgeons who, about the beginning of the 6th century bce, developed techniques for reconstructing noses from skin flaps taken from the patient’s arm. This method was introduced into Western medicine by Italian surgeon Gaspare Tagliacozzi in the 16th century. The flap was left attached to the arm for two to three weeks until new blood vessels had grown into it from the nose remnant. The flap was then severed and the arm freed from the reconstructed nose.
It was found that extremely thin pieces of skin could be cut free and would obtain enough nourishment from the serum in the graft bed to stay alive while new blood vessels were being formed. This free grafting of skin, together with the flap techniques already mentioned, constituted the main therapeutic devices of the plastic surgeon in the correction of various types of defects. Skilled manipulations of such grafts produced surprising improvements in the appearance of those born with malformed faces and in the disfigurements resulting from severe burns. Cornea, which structurally is a modified form of transparent skin, can also be free grafted, and corneal grafts have restored sight to countless blind eyes.
Blood transfusion can be regarded as a form of tissue graft. The blood-forming tissues—bone marrow cells—can also be transplanted. If these cells are injected into the bloodstream, they home to the marrow cavities and can become established as a vital lifesaving graft in patients suffering from defective marrow.
Britannica Quiz
Medical Conditions and Discoveries Quiz
The chief distinguishing feature of organ and limb grafts is that the tissues of the organ or limb can survive only if blood vessels are rapidly joined (anastomosed) to blood vessels of the recipient. This provides the graft with a blood supply before it dies from lack of oxygen and nourishment and from the accumulation of poisonous waste products.
A transplant is a section of tissue or a complete organ that is removed from its original site and transferred to a new position. Learn about the history, types, and challenges of transplant surgery, such as rejection and immunosuppression.
Learn the meaning of transplant as a verb and a noun, with different contexts and usage. Find out how to pronounce transplant and see related words and phrases.
Transplantation is the removal and implantation of tissue from one part of the body or individual to another, especially by surgery. Learn more about the types, examples, and citations of transplantation from Merriam-Webster Medical Dictionary.
Transplantation is the transfer of human cells, tissues or organs from one person to another for medical purposes. Learn about the types, benefits, ethics and challenges of transplantation from the World Health Organization.
