Xenograft technology: a new frontier in medicine.

The era of xenotransplantation is here and will certainly impact nursing. It is a 21st century answer to curing fatal diseases and prolonging life. Our society can no longer deny life-saving treatment to individuals simply because there are not enough human organs available. Xenotransplantation is a viable, exciting, and preferable option. The public will accept xenotransplantation better than the "presumed consent" system. Xenotransplantation may not fully replace human organs and tissue transplantation even with the recent successes of animal cloning. It can, however, serve as a back-up system for human graft donors. As nurses, we must be open to xenotransplantation as an alternative method that can eliminate the current human organ supply and demand problem.

Response to xenograft technology: a new frontier in medicine. Xenograft technology: proceed with caution.

Many Americans do not deal well with aging or preparing for death as a natural part of life. One indication of this is that only about 15% of the population have completed advance directives. Growing old gracefully and dying with dignity are not foremost considerations in our culture. We ask our government and private industry to spend billions of health care dollars to prolong our lives at all costs. Organ xenotransplantation has the potential of being a very complex, high tech, and expensive way of saving lives from the jaws of death--for a few more months or years. Derenge and Bartucci (1999) pointedly ask, "...should we instead be providing support and comfort to those who are dying and not intervene?" (p. 432). Finally, Dr. Margaret Somerville from the McGill Centre of Medicine, Ethics, and Law reminds us of the importance of addressing ethical issues early during the research process. Somerville (1998) states, "It is not enough to do ethics as an add-on at the end of having done your science." Science, medicine, and ethics, in the case of xenotransplantation, must progress together. Leaders in social policy should address the issues presented here before xenotransplantation is undertaken in the United States.

Issues surrounding xenotransplantation.

Currently there is a shortage of cadaver organs that can be transplanted from one human being to another. In response to this shortage, scientists and medical researchers have developed techniques for transplanting animal organs into humans, a procedure known as xenotransplantation. This may address the shortage of organs for patients in need; however, it raises other concerns related to cross-species disease transmission, consent issues, ethical issues of sacrificing animals for their organs, psychological issues of receiving organs from an animal, religious concerns, and economic factors. These medical, ethical, and philosophical issues need to be thoroughly addressed before xenotransplantation becomes a reality.

Xenotransplantation: the potential and the challenges.

Clinical use of xenotransplants is a potential way to provide care for a population of seriously ill patients and alleviate the demand for human organs. However, xenotransplantation also presents a spectrum of concerns, not only for individual patients but also for the public health, that must be discussed and dealt with in a science-based and public manner. Such discussions should take place on a national level and should include scientists, physicians, and policy makers from all countries in which the clinical use of xenografts is being considered.