Should Pig Valves be used in human surgery?
IS25 Raice Oberwiler
821 12/28/13
When snow white's hunter used a pig heart to fool the evil queen, he was not totally in the wrong. Pig hearts and human hearts and very similar in structure and function. Pig Valves, however, should not be used in patients. Even though the pig valve heart transplant has been around for over 30 years, it's cons outweigh it's pros. The process of preparation eventually add to the downfall of the method. Pig valves are trimmed then fixed in buffered glutaraldehyde at high pressure. A pig heart valve is comprised of three main components: collagen, elastin, and glycosamino¬glycans (GAGs). Collagen fibers provide strength to the overall structure while elastin molecules give the valve elasticity. Finally, GAGs act as a cushion between the collagen and elastin layers. Glutaraldehyde has been shown to sterilize the tissue and prevent inflammation. The problem is, glutaraldehyde causes faster deterioration of pig valves. Again, pig valves should not be used in transplants.
Pig valves should not be used in transplants. The process used to create them involves them being fixed in buffered glutardehyde. Glutaraldehyde is found to sterilize and help prevent inflammation in pig valves. The problem is, when the cells in pig valves are alive they are able to remove calcium, which act against the valve to stiffen and deteriorate it. Since the cells are made dead to insure there are no compatibility issues the valves cannot remove calcium. The glutaraldehyde process effectively adds calcium deposits to the valve, speeding up deterioration and leading to failures. Therefore pig valves should not be used in transplants due to the nature of their preparation.
The risks of using pig valves in
821 12/28/13
When snow white's hunter used a pig heart to fool the evil queen, he was not totally in the wrong. Pig hearts and human hearts and very similar in structure and function. Pig Valves, however, should not be used in patients. Even though the pig valve heart transplant has been around for over 30 years, it's cons outweigh it's pros. The process of preparation eventually add to the downfall of the method. Pig valves are trimmed then fixed in buffered glutaraldehyde at high pressure. A pig heart valve is comprised of three main components: collagen, elastin, and glycosamino¬glycans (GAGs). Collagen fibers provide strength to the overall structure while elastin molecules give the valve elasticity. Finally, GAGs act as a cushion between the collagen and elastin layers. Glutaraldehyde has been shown to sterilize the tissue and prevent inflammation. The problem is, glutaraldehyde causes faster deterioration of pig valves. Again, pig valves should not be used in transplants.
Pig valves should not be used in transplants. The process used to create them involves them being fixed in buffered glutardehyde. Glutaraldehyde is found to sterilize and help prevent inflammation in pig valves. The problem is, when the cells in pig valves are alive they are able to remove calcium, which act against the valve to stiffen and deteriorate it. Since the cells are made dead to insure there are no compatibility issues the valves cannot remove calcium. The glutaraldehyde process effectively adds calcium deposits to the valve, speeding up deterioration and leading to failures. Therefore pig valves should not be used in transplants due to the nature of their preparation.
The risks of using pig valves in