Do you trust the organ donation process (after recovery of 'brain dead' boy)?

Elaken · May 24, 2018

Just for the record - Who do you think invented Science?
God, my dear, God.
Yes, he invented evolution and the big bang, too.

Bwuahahhaha

And no one has to do anything to please me seeing as I am sure 99.99...% of the population could not care less about my judgement of them.

boquiabierta · May 24, 2018

Thank goodness you are here to determine science v. miracle for all of us. Just for the record - Who do you think invented Science?
God, my dear, God.
Yes, he invented evolution and the big bang, too.

I forgot we live under religious law and this is a Christian nation - oh wait.

elkpark · May 24, 2018

Thank goodness you are here to determine science v. miracle for all of us. Just for the record - Who do you think invented Science?
God, my dear, God.
Yes, he invented evolution and the big bang, too.

No, that's who you think "invented science." Not everyone shares your beliefs, nor is anyone obligated to.

AdamantiteEnigma · May 24, 2018

Many of these comments show me that unless you work with the organ donation process, you have no idea how it works. The family I think vastly misunderstood the doctors. I work in a Neuro/Trauma ICU and I see how families all the time misinterpret our doctors. They often take a neurosurgeon explaining a poor prognosis and outlook to mean brain dead. Because most people don't understand that brain dead is dead. There is no coming back. You can't be brain dead one day and not the next. The certificate is dated and signed at the time actual brain death is determined.
I've often seen a family get a poor prognosis and then the patient get somewhat better. It happens the most in the young.
There is much testing that is done with brain death. An apnea test is done first. Certain criteria must be met with that. Then a brain flow study is done. Two doctors must do it. Our neurosurgeons do it most of the time.
Nobody looks at a patient and thinks ah, a good donor patient. We exhaust all efforts to save the patient. When the GCS score gets to a certain point we call the donor people. They are still called even when we know the injuries are survivable. They follow each case in the background. We give all the background info. More often than not we are told just to call back with cardiac time of death as most people are not eligible.
We are not allowed to mention donation nor are the doctors. Most drug addicted are not eLigible because of all the damage the drugs do to their organs. Most of our organ donors are traumas. Gunshots mostly.
I've only ever seen 2 cardiac death donors.
I've had families decide to withdraw care and the patient not pass. Some people defy the odds.
In no way, shape, or form, does what some people are suggesting on here happens, actually happen. I feel I have a lot of good information and experience on this subject.

There are, of course, exceptions. My older brother definitely qualified as one. He did not survive his anoxic brain injury. And although, he'd clearly stated to anyone in our family he did not wish to be an organ donor, there were issues for me to tackle with the staff when I arrived.

We were all in agreement that he had experienced brain death. But this hospital went entirely too far. He was being vented, and kept alive. His name in the medical record and documentation was John Doe. His wallet, DNR bracelet, and other belongings were missing (later handed to me by a concerned security officer). And it was an absolute fight to stop the process of harvesting before it started. None of that had to happen, but someone clearly thought it would be a great idea to harvest a man without due diligence. I still struggle from time to time with the knowledge that anything confirming his identity was magically 'lost.' Another hospital employee knew us both and called me, in case you were curious about how I got there to begin with.

What they did was disgraceful. And I am still so disgusted by that experience that I've reversed my stance on the concept of organ donating. Because if it can happen to him, it surely could happen to me...