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This will sound like a question leading to a Steven King book, but it is a question which arose in my mind this week, and one I have yet to find an answer to. If a person has a transplant or a bone grafts from a different individual how long will the tissue carry a different DNA, and if it does not go away, but rather changes, will it in time also change the DNA of the new host. I know the rejection drugs are suppose to prevent our immune system from attacking transplant tissue, yet with bone transplants there are seldom if ever used. This makes me wonder if the bone transplants are dead, and if so why would you use them as grafts. I also wonder if it is better to use synthetic bone grafts or human bone grafts when needed.
Bone grafts from another person are normally cadaver bone. I had this discussion w/my orthopedic surgeon before having a spinal fusion. I opted to have my own bone, taken from the illiac, b/c I was afraid of AIDS; he said there had not been a case of AIDS developing from cadaver bone but I was still scared. Taking your own bone is more painful; it felt like a fire in that region for a week or so, but safer to me.
Bone grafts from another person are normally cadaver bone. I had this discussion w/my orthopedic surgeon before having a spinal fusion. I opted to have my own bone, taken from the illiac, b/c I was afraid of AIDS; he said there had not been a case of AIDS developing from cadaver bone but I was still scared. Taking your own bone is more painful; it felt like a fire in that region for a week or so, but safer to me.
I didn't ask about DNA, never occured to me.
If it is from a cadaver it would most likely be dead bone, I also have the option of synthetic bone which all of a sudden sounds a lot better. If it is dead bone than I would think DNA would not be an issue, nor any other virus for that matter. It must just provide a location for new bones growth to attach. The thought of a strange person having bones in me is not the most appealing idea, and sure make me wonder how bad my shoulder is if they need to replace it with a dead persons bone. I will go look up Cadaver bone grafts and see what the web has to say about safety. Thanks for the info.
I know there was a Law and Order episode a few years ago (my surgery was 1992) that featured cancer victims who got it from cadaver bone.I don't know if this was based on an actual case or on fiction, but I am just plain not in favor of cadaver bone unless it is absolutely necessary.
Last edited by SouthernBelleInUtah; 06-26-2011 at 11:25 AM..
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