The Ways on Heart Transplants - Research Proposal Example

Name: Course: Date: Tutor: Research Paper: Current Research on Heart Transplants Introduction The number of victims with heart problems in many societies has sharply been on the increase, and this has led to an increase in research on heart transplants as a lasting solution to the problem. As this happens, medical researchers and experts have sought better methods by which heart transplants can be conducted. The other issues raised relates to the issues of ethics of the practice, religious beliefs, social, as well as economical factors have affected the process. The development of heart transplant has received much attention as more people all over the world continue to suffer the impacts of heart failure, and other ailments that require a heart transplant. The high number of people all over the world, who have lost their lives due to heart diseases, has led to the prominence of heart transplant in a bid to save the lives of those who are faced by such problems. The development with regard to the ways by which heart transplant have been carried out has also changed over the years, and the unveiling of new technology in a bid to attend to the challenges that for years have affected the process has also made this a success. Perhaps it is important to note that every day that goes; in excess of 80 Australians lose their lives after succumbing to coronary heart disease. As much as there are many ways by which coronary heart disease may be treated, the most drastic of the ways is a transplant of the heart (Australian Medical Association 162). This process involves a patient’s diseased heart getting completely removed, and is replaced with a different heart from a healthy donor. This is a complicated process with various pros and cons; that has led to more research being carried out by medical professionals, as well as medical researchers who have intentions to improve the heart transplant process at many different stages that are involved. This research makes an effort to gather information with regard to the progress being made on the current research on heart transplant. In addition, it looks at the impacts of heart transplant in today’s society. Information with regard to the current developments in this field is presented in this research paper, which logically flows through the introduction, methodology, literature review, the main discussion, conclusion, and recommendation. Methodology This research is detailed and has captured the various views in the current research on heart transplant. The paper has explained how heart transplant has taken prominence after more people who suffer this disease have been reported. The paper has been structured in a logical manner, from the introduction, which is just an ice-berg of the greater ideas captured in this research. This is logically followed by the methodology, and literature review which captures the opinions of other experts of the current developments of heart transplant. This is coupled by the main discussion which has narrowed down much into the impacts of heart transplant to the society. This research carries a wealth of knowledge with regard to the current development of heart transplant and the impact this has on the society. The success of this research paper and the information that has been presented in this paper has been collected from various materials. As opposed to presenting the information in tables, I found it more appropriate to use prose form, where ideas would smoothly flow from one unto another. The information presented in this paper presents the views of medical experts, authors, as well as my own personal opinion on the current developments with regard to heart transplants, and the impacts that this has on the society. The two main sources of information may be categorically put into two; and they are the primary sources which included by own opinion, and recommendations after considering the views that came into my attention during and after the research. The second source of data that was used in this research includes the secondary materials, where in this case included books, and journals. I was able to study and analyze the data from various books, and journals, which are presented in the literature review, as well as in the main discussion. All in all, this is a very informative paper on the issues related to the current research on heart transplant, and more so, the paper addresses the impacts these developments have on the society. The fact that the information presented in this paper is a culmination of data collection, and analysis from a diverse pool of resources; makes the paper appropriate to be used as a hypothesis for future research. Literature Review Paula & DiMartini (2008) suggests in his work, ‘Evolution of Heart Transplant from Apr 1971’ that there is more to be done to improving the issues surrounding heart transplant as opposed to addressing the issues within the process. He suggests that more priority has been given to finding better ways by which the surgical operations are conducted, and yet other key concerns surrounding the transplant itself have risen up, either on ethical basis, religious, as well as on societal grounds. From this journal, the author acknowledges that much progress has been realized even as heart transplant gets prominence as a solution to the heart transplant problem. Information presented in this journal portrays that more success in the research around heart transplant can be realized when the revolving matters around heart transfer process by many societies can be identified and resolved (Paula & DiMartini 48). In addition, the author acknowledges that much has been accomplished with regard to minimizing the deaths of heart ailments victims. This adds weight to the critical debate on heart transplant with regard to the level of ethical innocence, as well as the moral backing that the process, as well as the research may be attributed. The author has appraised ‘Russell Heart Research Lab’, as an example of a laboratory that has proved that research on this matter is in-exhaustive. Paula & DiMartini (2009) advances the argument that survival and the quality of life of the victim of heart ailment are separate issues, yet both are equally important even as the research on heart transplant goes on. He argues that they are separate issues and thus cannot be generalized to give credit to heart transplant as a solution to sustaining the lives of victims with heart ailments. This comes even as many researchers, medical professionals, religious leaders, and political leaders take strong stands that either supports the survival of the heart patient over the quality of life after the transplant or vice-versa. However, Paula & DiMartini (2009) advance that the two are equally important with regard to analyzing the outcomes of the recent developments of heart transplant. They advance that despite there being an increasing number of reports about the success of liver and heart transplantation in improving the quality fo life of those who have undergone this types of transplants; the survivors of heart transplants have had issues with regard to the quality of lives that they lead after the transplant. This happens as many of the survivors are subjected to other medical problems that they have to live with (Paula & DiMartini 48). Pozgar & George (2010) in their book, ‘Legal and ethical issues for health professionals’; advance that the current developments on heart transplant has led to an increase of a number of issues in the various societies where it is believed to the best remedy for victims suffering with heart problems. Ethical questions such as consideration of age verses justice with regard to who should be given preference in heart transplant operations between for instance an 89-year-old patient because she is higher on the waiting list or a 10-year-old girl? (Paula & DiMartini 39). Paula & DiMartini (2009) advance further that over the past forty years, heart transplantation has developed from time to time. This is with regard to the changes where it turned from a laboratory based experimental procedure and became a clinical commonplace. However, in their book, the authors acknowledge that despite this being a good development both in theory and practice; today we have an increased number of issues which have come up. Among the issues which have topped the list include.; the issue of the state the living donors and their families are subjected to; issues with regard to the cognitive changes that comes as a result of heart transplant; the issue of patient screening, as well as selection; the ethical considerations that surrounds the process before, during, and after the heart transplant; the quality of life of the victims of heart transplant after the process; the direct, as well as the indirect consequence of immunological as well as pharmacological changes that are linked to heart transplant procedure. These views are based on expert opinion considering that Dr. Thomas Starzl is one of the prominent founding fathers of transplantation surgery. DISCUSSION Current Research in Heart Transplants Much research is still underway even as heart transplant methodologies and procedures are concerned. Much success has been realized from the current research, however an increased number of issues including the following have come up. They include the issues of the quality of the patients who have gone through heart transplant, the issue of patient screening, and selection; the ethical issue of the life the living donors are subjected to, the cognitive changes that comes as a result of heart transplant; and the ethical considerations that surrounds the process before, during, and after the heart transplant among others. One of the current technologies is the research on improving the process of finding a donor’s heart. This is related to the check up’s that have to be subjected to the potential donors. This has been a great challenge, considering that a donor’s heart must be matched closely to the tissue type of the recipient in a bid to ascertain if the body would accept or reject the heart organ. Concerns have been raised with regard to the procedures in this process, which have been termed by various lobby groups against this practice, as inhuman particularly for the living donors (Paula & DiMartini 48). In addition, current research has also led to an improved way by which the heart transplant process is conducted. To be specific, today the process has been made much easier, and it involves the recipient being subjected to general anesthesia, after which a cut is made on the recipient’s breastbone. The blood is then redirected to flow through a heart-lung bypass machine, and this gives the surgeon space to work on the heart. This machine takes over the responsibility of the recipient’s heart of supplying the body with oxygen and blood. After this is done, the diseased heart is removed, and on the same position, the healthy donor’s heart is stitched. Then the heart-lung machine is disconnected from functioning, and blood is allowed to flow through the new transplanted heart. Tubes are then inserted to the drain air, where fluid, as well as blood gets out of the chest for several days, in a bid to allow one’s lungs to fully re-expand to its normal functioning. In a limited number of cases, the surgeon may conduct heterotypic transplant, where the surgeon removes the old heart, and attaches a new one on top of it (Devettere & Raymond 44).However, even as the current research on heart transplant goes on, this process has been limited to the patients who suffer various conditions including; malnutrition, age (60 and above), victims of stroke, cancer, HIV, Hepatitis that is active, suffers from insulin-dependent diabetes, chronic diseases such as kidney, nerve, lung or liver diseases. In addition, those who have other diseases that affects the blood vessels (DiMartini 43). The common areas of current research on heart transplant relates with how to the best candidates are picked for heart transplant, the age considerations that are to be looked into, the people who will be affected if the life of the recipient is increased. Other key issues that have also been under research is the economical issue with regard to the value that the survivors of heart transplant add to the society. Other areas being researched include; the development of anti-rejection drugs intended to prevent the new heart from the donor, from being rejected by the immune system of the recipient’s body. The other issue is the issue of matching tissues from the new heart to be similar to the patient’s tissues. Increasing the numbers of available hearts, where research on using hearts of pigs, baboons, pigs and other animals are underway, and the development of the new heart-lung machines that has currently been applied in the process of operating the patient (DiMartini 43). The impacts of heart transplants on Society are diverse. Indeed, there are a number of implications that heart transplants have on societies. These are the issues are diverse in nature, and scope. One of the immediate impacts is the increase in the aging population, because the people with heart problems can live longer. The impacts on the recipient, hospitals, as well as the caregivers where people are subjected to waiting for years after lacking a donor, in an attempt to sustain the life of the victim after their hearts cease to function. Emotional distress is yet another problem to the recipient if one is called for a heart transplant, and the donor’s heart is found damaged, and thus not fit for transplant (Bowden & Snydman 54). In addition to the mentioned, other ethical, religious, as well as moral implications of replacing body parts of a patient to extend life. Other religious organizations have argued that life is divine and thus should not be stretched or shortened by a technological invention. The other impact to the society is the quality of life of the survivors of heart transplant. This is because a number of them have been found to be susceptibility to other life threatening diseases; after taking the immune suppressing drugs meant for minimizing the rejection of transplanted tissue. Other impacts relate to ethics, and the dignity of life, with the passing of laws such as the one where upon obtaining a driver’s license, the drivers are obliged to choose to be an organ donor or not. In addition to this, other impacts such as families of the individuals who die suddenly are subjected to pressure to make organ donation decisions, as they make effort to come in terms with the tragedy. Finally, the last impact which has been a debate is the case where families with brain dead victims, whose other organs such as heart and lungs still functioning, are subjected to pressure of making organ donation decisions at a time when the individual may appear to be alive. These are indeed direct impacts that affect the society faced with this crisis. However, we also acknowledge successful transplants that have been conducted in countries such as Australia, and the US which have many casualties (NSW 2002) Conclusion All in all, this research has established that much research on heart transplant has been conducted. The main issues raised relate to the ethical considerations, the human and humanity calls which question the dignity of life in the process; religious views that question the power to extend the life of a victim with heart problem; the economical conditions that critics the economic value of a survivor of hearts transplant to the society, and other ethical consideration. All in all, there are many unanswered questions, and few answers to the challenges that face the current developments of heart transplant. Recommendations I found the following recommendations viable for policy makers, researchers, as well as stakeholders faced with the challenges of heart transplant. There is need for different factions of the society to come together, and discuss the issues around heart transplant, with the intention of making positive compromises that will be fair to the donors, recipients, as well as their families. There is need for more research to be done on the social, as well as religious beliefs of a community on heart transplant, and the information collected should be used to ensure that further research will develop solutions to the issues raised. References Australian Medical Association, Medical journal of Australia. 1995, Vol. 162, No.3, pp. 23. Bowden, Snydman. Transplant Infections. London: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2010. Print. Devettere, Raymond. Practical decision making in health care ethics: cases and concept. London; Georgetown University Press, 2009. Print. DiMartini, P. World's leading heart transplant sets super pace, Evolution of Heart Transplant from Apr 1971.Vol. 26, No. 6, p. 103. NSW, 2002. ‘Notes from Senior science HSC Course, Medical technology’, LMP, OTEN Distance Education, NSW Department of Education and Training, revised 2002, Retrieved from; http://www.news.com.au/national/sydney-man-gets-first-heart-transplant-at-st-vincents-hospital/story-e6frfkvr-1225905908289 Paula, DiMartini, ‘The transplant patient: biological, psychiatric, and ethical’; SAGE, 2009. Print. Pozgar, George. Legal and ethical issues for health professionals; Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2010. Print. Read More