Trafficking of Human Tissue

Human Tissue Trafficking

Human Tissue Tracking: A Literature Review

Recent developments in the medical field have seen a substantial increase in the need for continuous nursing studies with the intention of enhancing the quality of healthcare provided to patients. Various studies have concentrated on the effective behaviors adoptable to ensure the provision of quality nursing care to patients. However, a report released recently by the American Medical Association showed that most of the nursing staff experienced problems of unsuitable handling of the biological allografts. Among the contributing factors contributing to inappropriate handling of the biological allografts, include lack of knowledge in the handling and tracking of biological allografts. Effective handling of the biological specimen ensures public trust, preservation, and protection of the specimen from contamination, a factor that contributes to inaccuracy of the results obtained from the procedure. Therefore, this study paper reviews different literature on issues related to human tissue tracking and trafficking. It utilizes the use of different research articles and journals to illuminate the light on the issues surrounding human tissue tracking.

Literature review

Various studies have been carried out relating to the current practices of tissue tracking and the regulation of the process of tissue identification. In 2006, a tissue transplant controversy made the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) respond by instituting policies to strengthen tissue transplantation in the United States. Patricia Battisti underwent a car accident in 2005 and suffered serious back injuries. She underwent corrective surgery in the same year and received tissue plants. In 2006, almost a year after the transplantation, Battisti found out that most of the tissues from the Biomedical Tissue Services of the Fort Lee tissue bank in New Jersey, the bank that had provided her with a tissue, were likely to have been poorly tested. This became a concern for her, because the lack of care and testing of the tissues Battisti received could have put her at risk of serious disease and complication, including infection and other issues that could have potentially taken her life.

On the exposure of Battisti's case, the FDA stepped up investigations and found that the allograft tissue that the patient had received was from a Brooklyn funeral home where tissues and bones had been exhumed and stolen. The records of the tissue were changed in Biomedical Tissue Services in New Jersey then sent to tissue banks, where they could be tested and used in for transplant and implants in hospitals. This case reported by the U.S. Federal News Service depicts just how easy it has been to steal a tissue from a corpse, process it under different records, and then use it in patients. This case exemplifies the under-regulation of tissue identification in the United States. The news article reporting the case explains that while tissue transplantation is in many ways similar to organ transplantation; it is chronically under-regulated. It is clear that organ transplantation is strongly regulated in the United States, while that is not as true in other countries where organ theft and trafficking is much more prevalent and worrisome.