The term transplantation is formed by combining “trans,” meaning “to carry across,” and “plant,” meaning “to plant.” It literally means “planting by transferring,” that is, placing a graft taken from a donor into a recipient.
Any organ or tissue removed for transplantation is called a graft.
Organ transplantation is the treatment of a disease by replacing an organ that has been damaged so severely by chronic illness that it can no longer function, and cannot be treated with available medical methods, with a healthy organ taken from a living or deceased donor.
Today, transplantation is one of the most advanced, long-lasting, life-saving treatments for many forms of chronic organ failure, particularly failure of the kidneys, liver, heart, and lungs.