Competition for Altruism: Bone and Organ Procurement in the United States

Abstract

The number of "units" of human bone used during surgical procedures has grown to almost a quarter of a million. Medical demand for such bone is expanding rapidly and the nation's bone-banking system is struggling to grow apace. Unfortunately, because of this growth, bone banks must compete with organ banks for access both to hospitals and to potential donors. This conflict can, and may already be, negatively affecting the supply of transplantable tissues and organs. The nature of this conflict is affected by current law and public policy, but those effects are little understood and perhaps not intended.