Acıbadem Healthcare Group

Acıbadem Healthcare Group operates a dedicated Organ Transplantation Medical Unit focused primarily on kidney transplantation and liver transplantation.

Unlike a single-hospital transplant program, Acıbadem’s transplant service is available across several hospitals in Istanbul, Bursa and İzmir.

The group currently lists the organ transplantation unit at:

Acıbadem Maslak Hospital — IstanbulAcıbadem Atakent Hospital — IstanbulAcıbadem Taksim Hospital — IstanbulAcıbadem Bursa Hospital — BursaAcıbadem Kent Hospital — İzmir

The program lists specialist transplant surgeons working in kidney transplantation, liver transplantation and hepatobiliary surgery.

Kidney transplantation

Acıbadem provides kidney transplantation for selected patients with irreversible kidney failure or end-stage kidney disease.

The transplant pathway may involve either:

Living donor kidney transplantationDeceased donor kidney transplantation

For living donation, the donor and recipient are assessed separately.

Evaluation can involve:

Blood-group testingHLA tissue typingCrossmatchingKidney-function assessmentCardiovascular assessmentInfection screeningImagingDonor suitability assessmentSurgical evaluation

Acıbadem describes living donor kidney transplant operations as typically lasting approximately 3–5 hours, although individual procedures can be shorter or longer.

The group’s published patient information describes discharge after an uncomplicated living donor kidney transplant at approximately day 5, while the living donor may sometimes leave hospital approximately 2–3 days after laparoscopic donor nephrectomy.

These are typical pathways rather than guaranteed timelines.

Liver transplantation

Acıbadem also operates dedicated Liver Transplant Centre services.

Liver transplant pathways include:

Living donor liver transplantationDeceased donor liver transplantation

Living donor liver transplantation involves removing part of a healthy donor’s liver and transplanting it into the recipient.

Because liver tissue has substantial regenerative capacity, both the donor’s remaining liver and the transplanted portion can increase in functional volume after surgery.

Acıbadem describes liver transplant surgery as typically taking approximately 6–12 hours, depending on the complexity of the operation.

Its published pathway indicates a hospital stay of approximately 2–3 weeks for some liver transplant recipients, but actual recovery varies substantially between patients.

Living donor transplant pathway

Living donor transplantation involves two patients rather than one: the recipient and a healthy donor.

Acıbadem describes a model in which donor and recipient surgery can be performed by separate surgical teams, with operating theatres functioning in parallel.

The donor should undergo an independent assessment focused specifically on donor safety.

A willing donor is not automatically an acceptable donor.

Evaluation may assess:

Medical fitnessBlood compatibilityHLA compatibility where relevantCrossmatch resultsOrgan anatomyInfection riskCardiovascular fitnessPsychological readinessVoluntary informed consentLegal donor relationship requirementsDeceased donor transplantation

Acıbadem also describes deceased donor kidney and liver transplantation within its transplant program.

Access to deceased donor organs is governed by Türkiye’s national allocation and transplant regulations.

For liver transplantation, medical urgency is commonly assessed using systems such as the MELD score.

International patients should not interpret the existence of a deceased donor program as meaning that foreign or non-resident patients automatically qualify for a deceased donor organ.

Eligibility depends on current Turkish law and national allocation rules.

Immunological matching

Kidney transplantation requires careful donor-recipient compatibility testing.

The transplant pathway includes access to immunological testing such as:

Blood-group testingHLA tissue typingAntibody assessmentCrossmatch testing

A negative or acceptable crossmatch is particularly important because it helps determine whether the recipient already has antibodies that may react against the proposed donor.

Multidisciplinary transplant care

Organ transplantation requires significantly more than the transplant surgeon.

Acıbadem describes a multidisciplinary structure that can include:

Transplant surgeryGeneral surgeryHepatologyGastroenterologyNephrologyUrologyAnaesthesiaIntensive careRadiologyPathologyInfectious diseasesImmunologyNutritionPsychologyTransplant coordination

This structure is important because transplant recipients require both major surgery and long-term management of immunosuppression.

Intensive care and postoperative monitoring

Kidney and liver transplant recipients require close monitoring immediately after surgery.

Postoperative care may include:

Organ-function testingBlood-count monitoringImmunosuppressant drug-level testingInfection surveillanceUltrasound or other imagingBlood-pressure managementKidney-function monitoringLiver-function monitoringRejection assessmentWound monitoring

Some complications require intensive care or additional procedures.

Long-term transplant follow-up

Transplant care does not finish when the patient leaves hospital.

Recipients normally require long-term or lifelong monitoring.

Follow-up can involve:

Immunosuppressive medicationKidney or liver function testingDrug-level monitoringInfection preventionRejection surveillanceBlood-pressure managementDiabetes monitoringCancer screeningSpecialist transplant consultations

For international patients, a written follow-up plan should be established before returning home.

Transplant coordination

Acıbadem’s organ transplantation program describes the use of dedicated transplant coordinators who help organise the different stages of care.

Coordination is particularly important for international living donor cases because treatment may require:

Recipient recordsDonor recordsCompatibility testingLegal documentationTravel planningSurgical schedulingPostoperative follow-upCommunication with physicians in the home countryInternational patients

Acıbadem operates dedicated international patient services with multilingual support.

However, international transplant eligibility is considerably more complex than ordinary medical travel.

Patients considering a kidney or liver transplant should establish:

Whether the recipient is medically eligibleWhether the proposed donor is medically suitableWhether the donor-recipient relationship complies with Turkish lawWhich official relationship documents are requiredWhether additional ethics approval is requiredWhether deceased donor transplantation is accessibleHow long the donor should remain in TürkiyeHow long the recipient should remainWhen flying home is medically safeWho will manage immunosuppression after returning home

A preliminary consultation or price quotation does not constitute transplant approval.

Dedicated organ transplantation medical unitKidney transplantationLiver transplantationLiving donor kidney transplantationLiving donor liver transplantationDeceased donor transplantationAdult transplant carePediatric transplant careHLA tissue typingCrossmatch testingIndependent living donor assessmentIntensive care supportDedicated transplant coordinationLong-term transplant follow-upMultilingual international patient supportTransplant program available across five Acıbadem hospitalsAcıbadem reports seven JCI-accredited hospitals across its wider healthcare group