W. Paris1, L. Padilla2, Z. Aburjania6, R. Bgainer3, K. Jang1, D. Cleveland6, Y. Lau4, S. Floyd6, D. Mauchley6, R. Dabal6, D. K. Cooper5 1Abilene Christian University,School Of Social Work,Abilene, TX, USA 2University Of Alabama at Birmingham,Department Of Epidemiology,Birmingham, Alabama, USA 3Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center,School Of Nursing,Lubbock, TX, USA 4University of Alabama at Birmingham,Division Of Pediatric Cardiology,Birmingham, AL, USA 5University Of Alabama at Birmingham,Department Of Surgery, Xenotransplant Program,Birmingham, AL, USA 6University Of Alabama at Birmingham,Department Of Surgery, Division Of Cardiothoracic Surgery,Birmingham, AL, USA
Introduction: Organ donation rates have not kept pace with the global incidence of end-stage organ failure. Given recent experimental progress, xenotransplantation (XTP; i.e., pig to human) has the potential to provide an unlimited supply of donor organs, but will present with many challenging public health issues for consideration. The objective of the study was to identify and report the most recent information relevant to XTP clinical trials; and report initial acceptance about the procedure.
Methods: A cross-sectional study among 70 nursing students from a large mid-western public university was conducted (July, 2017). An email was forwarded with a 35 item survey developed by the research team using a weblink after online consent.
Results: Regression analysis found that their willingness to consider receiving a XTP was being an organ donor themselves (p<0.01). Only 7% were aware that pig donors must be genetically modified (to prevent rejection) before they could be used as sources of organs for transplantation into humans. Wilcoxon Rank-Sum procedures found that anticipation of poorer medical outcomes with XTP (when compared to than human organ donation) was significantly associated with greater concern about potential psychosocial sequlae (p<0.01).
Conclusion: The most commonly related factors towards acceptance of XTP among healthcare professionals were being an organ donor, and the expectation of positive medical results. Findings suggest that even among healthcare professional’s knowledge of the process and immunology is limited. The findings highlight the need to increase knowledge and awareness of XTP among healthcare professionals as an incremental step in public education and preparation for clinical trials.