Other Types of Transplants and Tests:
Transfusions ~ The transference of blood from one person to another in the vascular system; exchange of fluid into the blood vessels (www.websters.com).
~ It is impossible to acquire rabies from a blood transfusion because it is in the nerves and not the blood (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution).
Corneal Transplants ~ Replacing the part of the eye covering the iris and pupil (www.laser-prk.com/corneal.htm). Only one encounter of rabies has been found out of the 40,000 transplants they do a year.
Islets from the Pancreas ~ Many diabetics are now given a so called second chance at life due to a transplant of clusters of the pancreas cells that produce insulin and regulate the amount of glucose. This transplant will allow diabetics with Type 1 Diabetes or Juvenile Diabetes to go shot free, or at least decrease the amounts of shots needed per day (The Seattle Times). As you may or may not know, Juvenile Diabetes is the most severe, developing early in life and affecting 1 million people. This is still an experimental therapy, and there are still kinks to work out. It may not work for everyone the first time or even at all, and this is one reason there is much research still needed to be done. Dr. Paul Robertson, a scientific director of the Pacific Northwest Research Institute wants to "revamp the technology to better protect islet cells from damage during transplantation and improve the procedure's success rates" (The Seattle Times). Dr. Robertson also stated that he wants to inject the islets into a new site in the body, to see if it makes a difference.
As of now the process to obtain the amount of islets needed for one transplant come from 2 pancreases. This is very demanding for this organ. To obtain the cells needed, they first need a deceased donor's pancreas. They begin by slicing the organ and then flooding it with an enzyme to catch any unwanted tissue. They then isolate the cells by spinning them in a centrifuge, and this is where up to half the cells are damaged and can no longer be used (The Seattle Times). Unfortunately this process is needed to prevent any unwanted tissue to clog the liver. By no means is this a cure for diabetes, but a way for those with it to have a better control over glucose levels. It's a life altering change, there won't be as much worry about the types of foods to eat, or meds to take (The Seattle Times). There's still a long way to go until this process is a complete success, but for now, if it helps half of the diabetics it's a step in the right direction.
Something Interesting To Think About:
~ Many transplant recipients know of the risks of receiving a transplant, but they remain on the list because this is the last option and hope for survival. "They know that the only other alternative is sure death" according to Pam Silvestri of the Transplant Alliance.
What They Test For:
Hepatitis B and C
HIV1 and HIV2 antibody
Serologic Test for Syphilis
Human T-Cell
Nucleic acid amplification test for HIV 1
Nucleic acid amplification test for West Nile Virus
Information about the performed tests obtained from www.aabb.org