Many Americans are dying while waiting for a new heart, lung or liver. In all three cases, demand exceeds supply.
It’s hard to imagine the desperation of living with a ticking clock and not knowing whether your number will get pulled for a transplant. We recognize the anguish of the families living this horrible reality.
But the quest to solve this problem may create perverse incentives.
Several days after a drug overdose, Kentuckian TJ Hoover was declared brain dead. Doctors prepared him for organ removal surgery, and as the procedure was about to begin, Hoover woke up . Reports indicate that hospital professionals allegedly disregarded signs that Hoover was still alert, and opted to move forward with harvesting anyway until it was undeniable that their patient was not dead.
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