Social Question

RedDeerGuy1's avatar

Is it possible to have extra kidneys or organs temporarily donated to someone healthy to last untill a recipient is ready?

Asked by RedDeerGuy1 (24473points) October 23rd, 2017

Could this be used to extend the viability of organs to have them wait in a host until needed? In other words can we use healthy people to extend the few hours that an organ can survive outside the body to infinite? A different question than this one

Observing members: 0 Composing members: 0

3 Answers

zenvelo's avatar

No, because the organ undergoes stress even with a well matched recipient. And the new host has to take anti rejection drugs, but even then the organ may be rejected.

There are a lot more potential recipients than there are organs.

CWOTUS's avatar

Even if @zenvelo‘s apt comments can be overcome, the answer is still no.

A doctor – at least in the USA and most of what we consider the developed world – signs onto the Hippocratic Oath before beginning practice: “First, do no harm.”

Cutting into a healthy person’s body – even with good intent for someone indefinite in the future – causes harm. Doctors can absolve themselves of that restriction when they cut into a healthy organ donor (kidneys, in particular, but now also liver sections as well, and mabye more in the future) to obtain a healthy organ for transplant. The thought is that it is a genuine life-saving (or hugely life-improving) operation to aid another patient that is known by the donor, so in this sense it’s a collaboration between the surgeon and the volunteer / donor to save the life of a particular person.

If the proposed implantation was “indefinite” for “no one in particular” and at “some time in the future”, there would be too much potential for abuse. I doubt whether any legitimate medical organization would sanction such operations, ever.

Call_Me_Jay's avatar

The Hippocratic Oath isn’t relevant. It isn’t binding. It’s aspirational and there are multiple versions of it.

Regardless, there are A LOT more recipients waiting for an organ than willing donors. For example, the average wait for a kidney in the US is five years.

If a living donor volunteers, the wait is zero years. There is no need to keep the kidney in some interim state of storage.

Answer this question

Login

or

Join

to answer.
Your answer will be saved while you login or join.

Have a question? Ask Fluther!

What do you know more about?
or
Knowledge Networking @ Fluther