5 ms·

I disagree with your last statement. Most current drug therapies are dirt cheap compared to the costs of organ implantation (even when you assume no long term c

I disagree with your last statement. Most current drug therapies are dirt cheap compared to the costs of organ implantation (even when you assume no long term care afterwards). This cost difference also makes me think insurance companies won't cover replacement organs when there is a normal treatment, thus keeping the current costs the same.

ChuckMcM 14y ago
Would love to hear more about this. There are a couple of things, first we have to forward predict what an organ transplant will cost when things like flying a kidney in a helicopter from LA to SF is unnecessary. or the previous owner's body is maintained on life support. I've heard horror stories (but not seen the bills) for recipients being charged for that which grossly inflated the cost. So lets start with say 2 months of space in a tissue reactor to get the organ grown, and an 8hr surgical procedure, full team with 3 days postop care. For things like kidneys/spleens/bladders I would think it would be a lot less than say a heart or heart/lung transplant. Then the second part is the costs associated with 'regular' care. So 10 years of dialysis + incidental infection care + machinery + visits is less expensive than the one day in the OR + 3 days post op? I don't know, seems like a grown organ transplant should be less expensive, would love a heath care administrator to step in with some solid numbers. Then
- jared314 14y ago
  The organ failure scenarios you describe are the ideal case. If you look at the more common ailments like heart disease, diabetes, gout, or tooth decay. The equation changes in favor of the current treatments. You would be hard pressed to convence me that the cost of growing, and implanting, a new tooth would be lower than a conventional dental crown or implant. I would love to be wrong. I would love to see the growth of spare parts reach mainstream use. But, I still believe their use will be artificially restricted, because of the cost of the skilled professionals involved and availability of proven alternatives.

ChuckMcM 14y ago

Would love to hear more about this. There are a couple of things, first we have to forward predict what an organ transplant will cost when things like flying a kidney in a helicopter from LA to SF is unnecessary. or the previous owner's body is maintained on life support. I've heard horror stories (but not seen the bills) for recipients being charged for that which grossly inflated the cost. So lets start with say 2 months of space in a tissue reactor to get the organ grown, and an 8hr surgical procedure, full team with 3 days postop care. For things like kidneys/spleens/bladders I would think it would be a lot less than say a heart or heart/lung transplant. Then the second part is the costs associated with 'regular' care. So 10 years of dialysis + incidental infection care + machinery + visits is less expensive than the one day in the OR + 3 days post op? I don't know, seems like a grown organ transplant should be less expensive, would love a heath care administrator to step in with some solid numbers. Then

jared314 14y ago
The organ failure scenarios you describe are the ideal case. If you look at the more common ailments like heart disease, diabetes, gout, or tooth decay. The equation changes in favor of the current treatments. You would be hard pressed to convence me that the cost of growing, and implanting, a new tooth would be lower than a conventional dental crown or implant. I would love to be wrong. I would love to see the growth of spare parts reach mainstream use. But, I still believe their use will be artificially restricted, because of the cost of the skilled professionals involved and availability of proven alternatives.