A transplant surgeon is a surgeon who performs organ transplants. Among the many organs that can be transplanted are kidneys, livers, hearts, lungs, the pancreas, the intestine (especially the small intestine), and recently, faces, tracheal (windpipe) tissue, and penises.

Organ transplantation is the process of surgically transferring a donated organ to someone diagnosed with organ failure. Many diseases can lead to organ failure, including heart disease, diabetes, hepatitis, cystic fibrosis, and cirrhosis. Injury and birth defects may also cause organ failure.

Chronic or acquired conditions such as diabetes or physical injuries can also be reasons for the requirement of an organ transplant surgery. Organs for transplant include the lungs, heart, pancreas, kidneys, liver, and intestine, and transplants for the face and body are also being undertaken more recently. Of these, kidney transplants are usually undertaken as the most common form of organ transplant and have a high organ transplant success rate.

The organ transplant procedure depends completely upon the organ transplant type, and in simple terms, involves the removal of a healthy organ from a donor, either living or deceased, and transplanting this into a patient with end-stage irreversible organ damage. The organ transplant surgery is preceded and succeeded by the use of drugs to prevent transplant rejection, as well as continuous medical evaluation to determine the feasibility of the transplant.

If all steps are strictly followed, patients can live a fulfilling life after an organ transplant.

Some of the organs used in transplants are obtained from living (always relatives up to the 4th degree) or deceased people. For example, the healthy cornea can be removed from the eyes of a person who has brain death as a result of head trauma and transplanted to a person suffering from corneal disease. The kidneys can also be transplanted to a chronic kidney patient who is on dialysis. A healthy liver from a deceased person can also be transplanted into cirrhotic or acute liver failure patients who need a transplant. Non-Turkish patients must bring a donor as Turkish law does not allow organ transplants from a corpse to non-Turkish citizens.

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"Turkey is one of the leading countries in the world that performs the most organ transplants and has the most successful results with its experienced doctors and equipped hospitals."