There has been a rapidly growing scandal in biomedical products which are sourced from human donor elements. There are dozens of products used in a variety of procedures (including Plastic & Reconstructive, Orthopedics, Urology, and Neurosurgery) and the “competition” for bits of skin, cartilage, bone, & other biomaterials has made this a lucrative market.
Reported here is the indictments against a number of funeral home directors for harvesting (without consent) human tissue from “clients” for reselling to brokers who go on to deliver these to manufacturers for processing.
In Plastic Surgery, Alloderm, a product made from the back skin of organ donors, has literally exploded in indications both reconstructive and cosmetic. In fact, I’m going Friday to a Washington D.C. meeting devoted to the utility of Alloderm for use with breast reconstruction procedures. It is also found a niche in rhinoplasty procedures and abdominal wall hernia repairs.
Tags:
plastic surgery
Alloderm
grave robbing
