Ethical Debate: Organ Transplants - page 6

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3rdShiftGuy had a great ethical question in the 17y/o organ transplant tragedy that somewhat went unanswered. I think it would be a great thing to debate and discuss, but to avoid confusion and hurt... Read More

  1. by NRSKarenRN
    Feb 23, '03
    Qualifications for organ transplantation
    http://www.optn.org/about/donation/livingDonation.asp
    http://www.unos.org/Resources/FactSheets.asp


    PA Chapter 158. Vital Organ Transplantation Services
    http://www.health.state.pa.us/QA/chp158.htm
  2. by Furball
    Feb 24, '03
    Thanks for the info Stargazer. Whew....maybe I don't have alzheimers....yet.
  3. by bestblondRN
    Feb 24, '03
    Originally posted by hoolahan
    Best Blone, if that is true, that is a SIN!!! To think that people are in those hospitals just waiting for a donor. I admitted a pt to home heath just yesterday who was in the hosp NINE MONTHS getting IV milrinone until he got his transplant. He shared time with many many others who were on that unit waiting for hearts. And please, the typing and xmatching is done long before the actual harvesting of organs, I mean hours prior, isn't it? That was the way it was done when I last participated in a harvest in an ICU.

    That just makes me so angry!!!
    Sad, but true, unfortunately........The other thing I should mention is that we were expecting a couple of teams from the OPO, and they ended up only sending one team. It was all they could do to handle liver, pancreas and kidneys. I would think that an OPO would mobilize every support they have when they have a total solid organ donor, but then again, maybe there are things I'm not aware of. The coordinator had lists of potential recipients, but I never got a good look at them to see what they said or how the lists are put together--I was circulating the case and was busy with other stuff.
  4. by kaycee
    Feb 24, '03
    Originally posted by kids-r-fun
    I think that families can do *some* specifing when it comes to a family member receiving an organ.

    For some reason I think something along these lines occured in a mid to south Atlantic State 2-5 years ago...car accident involving a college girl (or a HS girl that had been visiting colleges) and an organ going to a grandparent maybe????.

    Anyone else recall something like this or did I dream it up?

    Yes, this is true the girls heart went to her father.
  5. by semstr
    Feb 24, '03
    Why are you all so obsessed with nationality and donororgans?
    I know that with Eurotransplant, nobody gives a f..k about a) where the organs come from and b) who is (are) recieving them.

    and yes to question, when an US citizens dies here (happens quite a lot btw) they can take his organs too. BUT, I also happen to know at least one case, where an US-citizen was put on the donorlist of Eurotransplant and got his kidney, after "only" 6 months.
  6. by Q.
    Feb 24, '03
    Renee,
    Are non European citizens placed on the same list with European citizens?
  7. by semstr
    Feb 24, '03
    Yes, there is only one list.
  8. by NurseShell
    Feb 24, '03
    Sorry if this has already been said (didn't read ALL the posts here) but...
    Living in So. CA, we see a lot of illegals - what gets my goat is when someone is injured on this side of the boarder and "we" the US citizen get to pay the bill. NOw, it doesn't matter if this person was injured because they were doing something illegal or not..."we" pay their bills...no matter how steep. If a mom comes here to give birth (to earn citizenship for her child) and that infant is sick "we" pay the NICU costs...it sort of bothers me...I think if "we" are overseas and get hurt "we" still pay the bills.

    I understand that the quality of care is better here than south of the border, but why stick the US citizen with the bills??

    On the other hand...if we are talking about someone who is NOT "freeloading" I have no problem with that! When it comes to organs and transplants??? I think citizens should be considered first - if there is not match then go to noncitizens.

    JMHO
  9. by fergus51
    Feb 24, '03
    Nurseshell, that really depends on your financial state. If an American gets injured here and has no insurance we still have to treat them, and send them a bill, but how often do you think they pay for it?
  10. by semstr
    Feb 24, '03
    ^^5 Fergus, same here.
    Oh, and we have to pay for those "foreigners" in jail too, btw!
  11. by donormom
    Mar 7, '03
    Just wanted to offer another perspective to this discussion. In 1999, I became a donor family member when my fourth daughter was declared brain dead. Her heart went to a little baby boy miles and hours away. It does MY heart good to know that he is a happy and healthy 3 1/2 year old today.

    Every time I hear about the Jesica story, I hurt for her and her family. But I also think about two donor families whose donations were wasted.

    I would hate to think that that had happened when we made the decision to donate our daughter's organs.

    Has anyone else thought of it from this perspective?

    Karen
  12. by Stargazer
    Mar 7, '03
    I'm so sorry for your loss, donormom, and I absolutely applaud the generosity with which you elected to help another family's child even in the midst of your own grieving.

    In answer to your question, on the 2 lengthy threads on which we discussed this subject, the point that the 2 donors' organs had been "wasted", and the fact that they might have successfully saved another child's life, was made in a number of different posts.
  13. by MishlB
    Mar 7, '03
    Funny how Americans are so judgemental and righteous.

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