Xenograft technology: a new frontier in medicine

The era of xenotransplantation is here and will certainly impact nursing. It is a 21st century answer to curing fatal diseases and prolonging life. Our society can no longer deny life-saving treatment to individuals simply because there are not enough human organs available. Xenotransplantation is a viable, exciting, and preferable option. The public will accept xenotransplantation better than the "presumed consent" system. Xenotransplantation may not fully replace human organs and tissue transplantation even with the recent successes of animal cloning. It can, however, serve as a back-up system for human graft donors. As nurses, we must be open to xenotransplantation as an alternative method that can eliminate the current human organ supply and demand problem.