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American Morning
Tissue Transplants
Aired May 14, 2003 - 08:46 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: A Senate hearing today will look into weather safety rules should be imposed on the country's tissue banks. So what are the potential risks associated with donation of human tissue?
To find out, we're paging our Dr. Sanjay Gupta at the CNN Center.
So why are they now looking into these potential risks? What's the problem?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is a huge issue, Fredricka, no question; 850,000 or so tissue transplants being done every year.
Let's take a quick look at some of the locations from where tissue can be harvested. What we're talking about here is specifically catavaric (ph) tissue transplants, or they from the cornea, you can see there, both eyes. Also different locations in the body, including the bones and the fascia (ph), various tendons, things like that. These tissues can be used for all sorts of different purposes.
People typically think of organ transplantation in terms of improving people's lives, in terms of saving lives. But tissue transplants can have those benefits as well.
Take a look at some of the potential benefits actually in terms of saving lives -- skin for burn victims, as well as heart valve replacements. It can also enhance lives, partial and total joint replacements. We're talking about the knee. We're talking about the hip, the back. There is all sorts of different places in the body. So lots of potential benefits from tissue transplantation.
But Fredricka, as you correctly mentioned, there is some concern now, some controversy. One of the most notable cases, or the death that actually occurred as a result of a tissue transplant, because that particular transplant, which was bone for a routine knee operation, was found to be contaminated with a bacteria. This occurred to a 23-year-old back in Minnesota in 2001. That, obviously spurned a lot of concern over tissue transplantation. It's also been linked to lots infections and things like that as well.
So people are concerned about tissue transplants. The biggest concern really is if you look at the organ transplant industry, if you look at the blood transfusion industry, there's lots of regulations in place to try to make sure those are safe. I haven't seen as much of that in tissue transplantation. The numbers in terms of actual side effects, actual death, certainly very, very low. But now the FDA, along with the Likens (ph) family, who is the family of the gentleman who died, will be testifying today to talk about maybe some new regulation with regard to tissue transplants -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Well, Sanjay, in the medical community, isn't it the feeling that the benefits far outweigh, however, those risks?
GUPTA: Absolutely. They think the benefits certainly outweigh the risks. Again, not only do these tissue transplants potentially enhance lives in case of spine surgery and joint surgery, but actually maybe save lives in terms of burn victims and heart patients. But the numbers, again, one death, two dozen or so infections out of 850,000 very small, but the community thinks they can still do even better than that. They think regulations need to be in place, and that they need to make sure that even a single more death doesn't occur in the future -- Fredricka.
HEMMER: All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired May 14, 2003 - 08:46 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: A Senate hearing today will look into weather safety rules should be imposed on the country's tissue banks. So what are the potential risks associated with donation of human tissue?
To find out, we're paging our Dr. Sanjay Gupta at the CNN Center.
So why are they now looking into these potential risks? What's the problem?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is a huge issue, Fredricka, no question; 850,000 or so tissue transplants being done every year.
Let's take a quick look at some of the locations from where tissue can be harvested. What we're talking about here is specifically catavaric (ph) tissue transplants, or they from the cornea, you can see there, both eyes. Also different locations in the body, including the bones and the fascia (ph), various tendons, things like that. These tissues can be used for all sorts of different purposes.
People typically think of organ transplantation in terms of improving people's lives, in terms of saving lives. But tissue transplants can have those benefits as well.
Take a look at some of the potential benefits actually in terms of saving lives -- skin for burn victims, as well as heart valve replacements. It can also enhance lives, partial and total joint replacements. We're talking about the knee. We're talking about the hip, the back. There is all sorts of different places in the body. So lots of potential benefits from tissue transplantation.
But Fredricka, as you correctly mentioned, there is some concern now, some controversy. One of the most notable cases, or the death that actually occurred as a result of a tissue transplant, because that particular transplant, which was bone for a routine knee operation, was found to be contaminated with a bacteria. This occurred to a 23-year-old back in Minnesota in 2001. That, obviously spurned a lot of concern over tissue transplantation. It's also been linked to lots infections and things like that as well.
So people are concerned about tissue transplants. The biggest concern really is if you look at the organ transplant industry, if you look at the blood transfusion industry, there's lots of regulations in place to try to make sure those are safe. I haven't seen as much of that in tissue transplantation. The numbers in terms of actual side effects, actual death, certainly very, very low. But now the FDA, along with the Likens (ph) family, who is the family of the gentleman who died, will be testifying today to talk about maybe some new regulation with regard to tissue transplants -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Well, Sanjay, in the medical community, isn't it the feeling that the benefits far outweigh, however, those risks?
GUPTA: Absolutely. They think the benefits certainly outweigh the risks. Again, not only do these tissue transplants potentially enhance lives in case of spine surgery and joint surgery, but actually maybe save lives in terms of burn victims and heart patients. But the numbers, again, one death, two dozen or so infections out of 850,000 very small, but the community thinks they can still do even better than that. They think regulations need to be in place, and that they need to make sure that even a single more death doesn't occur in the future -- Fredricka.
HEMMER: All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
