Foreign Transplants

[KittyLovinRN]

Happy Monday everyone!

I had a thought run through my mind this morning as I was heading out the door to see my patients (I work home health in a large city, servicing many out of town patients). I have been seeing many patients from outside the US coming here to receive organ transplants. I'm conflicted on this practice as the organs they receive could be going to someone here but at the same time I acknowledge that all life deserves care and treatment.

What are your thoughts? Should big wads of cash be accepted for placement on our transplant lists?

[xoemmylouox, ASN, RN]

We have a patient who is a young child. Her family is illegal, but she is not. She received a kidney transplant from her mom and has been doing great. Perhaps some of the other foreign born patients have family donations as well??

[KittyLovinRN]

We have a patient who is a young child. Her family is illegal but she is not. She received a kidney transplant from her mom and has been doing great. Perhaps some of the other foreign born patients have family donations as well??[/quote']

It's possible for livers and kidneys but the ones I see are lung transplants, no living donors are done or lung transplants.

[ChristineN, BSN, RN]

It's possible for livers and kidneys but the ones I see are lung transplants, no living donors are done or lung transplants.

Actually, if you do some research you will see that they are now doing live lung donor transplants, where one person gives a lobe of their lung to someone else. From the cases I have read about it has primarily been done among parents to their own children.

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

I think 5% is a fairly reasonable compromise between compassion for foreigners and taking care of our own 1st.

[KittyLovinRN]

Actually, if you do some research you will see that they are now doing live lung donor transplants, where one person gives a lobe of their lung to someone else. From the cases I have read about it has primarily been done among parents to their own children.

Geez okay sorry!

[netglow, ASN, RN]

Kitty when ever you talk transplant you will see that you meet resistance. The industry is very protective of its share. So, someone will notice this thread and say that you don't know what you are talking about soon, or that you are mis-informed. When you do know, actually.

[Tait, MSN, RN]

Kitty when ever you talk transplant you will see that you meet resistance. The industry is very protective of its share. So, someone will notice this thread and say that you don't know what you are talking about soon, or that you are mis-informed. When you do know, actually.

Yeah I agree. Ethically charged topics always have someone looking for a fight.

[ChristineN, BSN, RN]

Geez okay sorry!

Woah. I wasn't trying to critical but merely trying to provide some information.

[Tait, MSN, RN]

Woah. I wasn't trying to critical but merely trying to provide some information.

Unfortunately the words "if you do some research" can often be misconstrued as "hey lazy look crap up".

[KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN]

What is LESS ethically "challenging": performing life-saving transplant on a tax-paying, law-obeying "non-American", whether "legal" or not but with good chances and intentions to return to productive life and contribute to society; or doing the same for a born American serving life sentence for horrible crime against the said society; or doing the same for a born American who for decades was doing everything in human power in order to destroy his body, who always was, and most probably will be, a burden on his family and the society which already spent $$$$$ on his support, education and treatment?

All three cases had numerous precedents, and anyone who was in transplant trenches knows that the latter kind of "clients" is most common. And it is not that unusual for them to slide back to their "habits" right after they feel just good enough.

The funny thing is that, in case of "legal" stay for purposes of solid organ transplant, the patient/family has to pay for medical care - i.e. invest in US economy - a sum of money which is more than the one required for "investment visa" (the latter is currently something close to half a million dollars). I know several families from parts of former Soviet Union who came here because of their children who needed transplants, and these people spoke about thus "investing" a million or so for the purpose. These folks have to jump through many immigration hoops to be granted extended stay privileges but I really don't see why they shouldn't be granted "investor" status and Green Cards. After all, folks who can legally make this kind of money should be welcomed in the USA.

[umcRN, BSN, RN]

Yes they are by need but I haven't any idea who decides who has greater need.

UNOS will decide who has the greater need. There are A LOT of factors taken into consideration which include but are not limited to age, size, blood type, the patients PRA level, length of time on the list, how critical the pt is (for instance status 1a for a heart is the same whether the pt is walking/talking on a milrinone gtt or sedated on ecmo), among other things.

[Not_A_Hat_Person, RN]

Organ transplants are impossible to get in Japan because of cultural beliefs against organ donation. They believe that if the body is still warm, the soul is still present. Japanese citizens have to travel abroad for organ transplants. As long as they meet the same criteria as Americans, and aren't allowed to buy their way to the top of the list (which has happened, and not just in the US), I have no problem with foreigners coming to the US for organ transplants.