Latest Issues with Prosthetics and Artificial Organs
As technology evolves throughout the years, so do the conflicts that arrive with it. As with any other innovation, there is likely to be opposition. In the case of prosthetic limbs, issues include but are not limited to: cost, ethical reasoning, discrimination, necessity, animal testing needed to perfect prototypes, misunderstanding the ability of prosthetics to enhance human abilities, human safety, and much more. Currently, this area of Biotechnology is still under development with new innovations coming along each day, such as linking the prostheses to the nervous system, allowing them to move and react automatically.
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Learn more about these issues, along with the pros and cons of Artificial Limbs below.
Ethical Issues
Prosthetic Limb Issues
Legal Issues
Social Issues
Is the Benefit Worth the Risk?
Ethical Issues
Artificial Organ Issues
Legal Issues
Social Issues
Is the Benefit Worth the Risk?
Due to an increasing rate of amputees, the demand for artificial limbs is steadily increasing; however in some cases, buying a new limb really does cost an arm and a leg.
According to the Hospital for Special Surgery, the cost of a new limb can cost anywhere from 5,000 to 50,000 dollars. That is the same price as an 2015 Audi sports car! Those who can't afford to pay the full price of high-tech Bionic prosthetics that can give them more functionality, for example, may be forced to live with a basic prosthetic that only serves as a limb replacement. Because the technology that is found in Bionic prosthetics is so advanced, those limbs will definitely cost more money, and for those fortunate enough to be able to afford it, they can enjoy the luxury of being able to control their prosthetic through thoughts or even be able to feel heat and touch.
Although there is financial assistance for the cost of artificial limbs, such as through the Amputee Coalition of America, it is not always enough to give amputees back the true luxury of a functional limb. Also, in addition to the cost of the actual limb amputees still have to go through several weeks to months of physical therapy in order to become accustomed to their prosthetics. There is also a lack of trained personnel available to fit and train those who need prosthetic limbs, despite the rising number of amputees. This is where 3-D printing comes into play. Learn more about how 3-D printing eases the cost of bionic prosthetics by clicking here.
It is in normal human nature to act different towards a person missing a limb, and because of this, amputees face discrimination on top of their loss. Some misunderstand the use of prosthetic limbs, and may think that because someone has a prosthetic that they are less able to do certain things. In sports, there is a whole separate Olympic games called the Paralympics, for those who are amputees have prosthetics, or other various types of disabilities. On the other hand, some feel that bionic prosthetics give people an unfair advantage, especially in relation to athletics. South African Olympic Runner Oscar Pistrouus was born without fibulas in his legs, and uses prosthetic limbs called Flex-Foot cheetahs to give him the ability to walk and compete in races amongst the best runners, both prosthetics users and non-users. In 2007, a ban was laid down on Pistorius by the International Association of Athletic Federations, which prevented him from competing at the Olympic level, because studies showed that his prosthetic legs allow him to swing them back and forth 20-25% faster than the average Olympic runner. Although this ban was overturned in 2008, the fact is that we do not have the technology to allow paralympians to be on the same playing field as the Olympics.
Cost
Discrimination
Artificial Organs are a way for those with end-stage organ diseases or organ failure to be able to evade the never-ending waiting list for an organ transplant. The need for organ transplants definitely outnumbers the number of organs available. Having increased artificial organs would decrease the number of deaths resulting from organ transplants and waiting for them. It would also potentially decrease Organ Trafficking and Harvesting around the world. The image illustrates how much money various organs are worth around the world. If organs were made to be mechanical, this problem would be eliminated.
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As the use of technology is further changing the world each day, many fear that humans are becoming too dependent on technology. Berlott Meyer, known as "the bionic man" says: "We are reaching the point where people with artificial limbs may have an advantage. It they start to appeal to everyone, a mass market will develop.” For example, if a futuristic bionic arm allowed you to type 1,000 times faster, would you amputate your own hand for the prosthetic? With a "bionic" future looming, this may be a question we have to ask ourselves in the future. What if a prosthetic leg allowed you to run faster? the ethical question arrives when the prosthetic industry is no longer a niche market, and is open to a wider audience. Should an industry that is supposed to help amputees regain ability be used to enhance the abilities of civilians? Also, bionic limbs that contain hackable components are also an issue. For example, Meyer has an i-limb ultra prosthetic arm, which is connected to his iphone. Becuase his phone is connected to the internet, a part of his body has essentially become hackable, which shows the role technology plays in the ethical conflicts of prosthetic limbs. Berlott Meyer is the producer of the documentary, The Bionic Man, which takes the viewer through the engineering of a man from prosthetic limbs and artificial organs by Alexander Seifalan.
Berlott Meyer is a social psychologist at the University of Zurich, in Switzerland. (Citation 3,4)
Another issue revolving around Artificial Organs is the fact that in some cases, to prevent possible malfunction and failure to artificial organs in humans, the artificial organs may be tested on an animal with a similar system. This raises the question of the ethical reliability of artificial organs if animal testing is involved. However, a new technology called Organs on a Chip, features cells from a given human organ that are allowed to assemble and grow. These chips mimic the reaction of human organs, and are used to predict how drugs will affect human beings rather than just rats.
Currently, the use of approved mechanical organs is legal by law. Issues that surround this topic, however, include cost and possible failure. Not all mechanical organs are fully functional, and patients must take that into consideration before deciding to get a surgery. Some critics think that a patient in need of an artificial heart due to a long waiting time on the waitlist or soon to be heart failure has no time to weigh the pros and cons of an artificial heart because of the fast approaching problem of mortality. Among other issues of the artificial organ are those of the caregiver issue. For organs that are not fully functional, a trained caregiver must stay with the patient at all times. In a ddition to the caregiver probably getting frustrated, and ending up worrying more about te actual device than the patient themselves, "caregivers of survivors on mechanical ventilators experience severe depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorders lasting as long as 12 months.” This becomes a legal issue when caregivers decide to take legal action against the frustration resulting from caring for someone with an artificial organ.
Anyone knows that a visit to the doctor can be very costly. Without insurance, getting an artificial organ implant, along wiht hospital stay and follow-ups, and a possible caregiver if needed rounds up to anywhere from 100,000 to 300,000 dollars, with a 5-year-life expectancy. There is always the unfortunate posibility that an artificial organ may fail and how does a doctor determine who is more eligible for an artificial organ if not many have already been manufactured? Nonetheless, as new improvements are being made in artificial organ generation, these questions may soon be answered.
In 2009, disabled law student Riam Dean was "banished to the stockroom" during her shift at her part-time Abercrombie and Fitch job for violating their "looks policy." Dean, 22 years old at the time,
was born with her left forearm missing and has worn a prosthetic limb since she was three months old but insists she has never allowed her disability to get in her way. At her interview, she was never asked if she had a disability, and never thought to mention it. She was usually allowed to wear a cardigan in order to cover her prosthetic arm, but at the time, her manager demanded that she remove it or lose her job. This draws attention to the physical appearance of prosthetic limbs. The fact of the matter is, those with artificial limbs are often discriminated against just for being different. Read the full article below.
First of all, who is entitled to prostheses that have the price-tag of a luxury car? Soldiers who lose limbs while serving get the latest technology, but what about civilians who lose an arm in a car accident? - Meyer
Follow Professor Meyer on Twitter!
Meyer's vision for the Bionic Future to the right.
Safety
As prosthetic devices become more advanced, more risks become prevalent. Newer prosthetic limbs are being directly wired into a patient's nervous system, rather than just being attatched to the skin. With this being done there is no guarantee that transmission of pain signals that are potentially excruciating will not occur. Because bionic technology is still relatively new the question of its safety is constantly asked. It is not certain that technological malfunctions will not occur and even if the surgical procedure to attatch a bionic prosthetic is done correctly, the limb must cooperate with the nervous system of the patient. This means that if any malfunction with the prosthetic occurs, it must be replaced or repaired, and the process to do so could be particularly invasive due to the fact that the prosthetic has been wired to the brain.
Another issue in relation to prosthetic limbs is the safety of animals that are often used in testing to ensure the biocompatibility of limbs. In a DARPA study, rhesus maqaque monkeys were used to model how a bionic hand would work with humans becuase a primate's sensory and neural structure is the most similar to a human's. They trained the test monkeys to recognize several types of physical contact with their fingers and then connected electrodes to parts of the monkey’s brains related to each of their fingers. Instead of using actual physical touches, they substituted them with electrical stimulation directed to those specific areas of their brains. As a result, the researchers found that the monkeys reacted to the electrical stimulation the same way they did with actual physical contact. These experiments helped researchers created computer instructions for a bionic hand for humans, but many question the legal rights that the researchers have to use an innocent animal to experiment for the betterment of humans.
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Another safety issue that prosthetics users face is going through airport security. Most often, those with bionic prosthetics are pulled aside in airports and further investigated. Many prosthtics users have felt that they have been subjected to inconsistent, unfair, abusive and often embarrassing screenings by Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) employees. To further prevent this from happening, the Amputee Coalition has been working closely with TSA to ensure that prosthetic wearers travel safely and comfortably. Those who wear prosthetic limbs are not required to remove their prosthetics; however TSA officers are required to see and touch prosthetics to ensure the safety of travelers. Some travelers may carry notification cards like the one pictured to the left, but these do not exempt from private screenings.
Click left to learn more about the TSA's policy towards Prosthetics.
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