Addressing Religious and Cultural Differences in Views on Transplantation, Including Composite Tissue Allotransplantation

Abstract

Composite tissue allotransplantation is a rapidly developing field in plastic and reconstructive surgery and therefore imposes an obligation upon plastic and transplant surgeons to familiarize themselves with some unique aspects of this new discipline. The visible nature of extremities, and the face, presents a special hurdle when seeking the consent of the donor's family, as well as the recipient. Religious and sociocultural backgrounds of both the donor and recipient may have an important impact on the outcome of the donation and acceptance process. The purpose of this review is to present the current positions of major religious groups on allotransplantation and the cultural responses to the religious stances. In this context, we have investigated whether there are any specific religious or cultural restrictions against the practice of composite tissue allotransplantation.