April 12, 2007
DR. SCHIAVO, I PRESUME?:
Potential organ donor was wrongly declared brain-dead: The error raises concerns about the medical care of those who have promised their organs for transplants (Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber, April 12, 2007, LA Times)
A man whose family agreed to donate his organs for transplant upon his death was wrongly declared brain-dead by two doctors at a Fresno hospital, records and interviews show.Only after the man's 26-year-old daughter and a nurse became suspicious was a third doctor, a neurosurgeon, brought in. He determined that John Foster, 47, was not brain-dead, a condition that would have cleared the way for his organs to be removed, records of the Feb. 21 incident show.
"It kind of blew my mind," said the daughter, Melanie Sanchez, "like they were waiting like vultures, waiting for someone to die so they could scoop them up."
When yoiu give folks with a vested interest the power to kill you, they do. Posted by Orrin Judd at April 12, 2007 8:05 AM
You're opposed to organ donation? Sounds selfish.
Posted by: ghostcat at April 12, 2007 10:56 AMLou Gots is not opposed to organ donation. I seriously doubt that oj is either. I am opposed to murder, and I am persuaded of the efficacy of markets.
Posted by: Lou Gots at April 12, 2007 11:14 AMghost:
Cool. When I need a heart replacement I'll just whack you and take yours. Right?
Posted by: oj at April 12, 2007 11:47 AMFresno...as seen on "Cops"
Posted by: ken at April 12, 2007 11:51 AMJewish tradition does not recognize "brain dead" as true death - just the permanent cessation of a heartbeat. Of course, the combination of continued heartbeats and brain death make transplantation easier, since the organs do not deteriorate as long as the heart is beating. Which makes me extremely suspicious of those "doctors" who espouse the brain dead theory of death. Ulterior motives, anyone?
Posted by: obc at April 12, 2007 11:51 AMHey wait a minute, wasn't there supposed to be a slippery slope we slide down first? I was at least expecting a few essays from Peter Singer to soften us up.
"died 11 days later... By then, Sanchez said, his organs were not viable for donation"
Darn that's what happens when you allow family members to drag the thing out.
Posted by: h-man at April 12, 2007 11:55 AMoj -
Nice dodge. Opposed to organ donation? The practice admittedly creates perverse incentives. But then sharing always does.
Posted by: ghostcat at April 12, 2007 12:55 PMA male patient is lying in bed in the hospital, wearing an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose, still heavily sedated from a difficult four hour surgical procedure. A young, student nurse appears to give him a partial sponge bath. "Nurse" he mumbles, from behind the mask. "Are my testicles black?"
Embarrassed, the young nurse replies, "I don't know, Sir. I'm only here to wash your upper body and feet." He struggles to ask again, "Nurse, are my testicles black?" Concerned that he may elevate his vitals from worry about his testicles, she overcomes her embarrassment and sheepishly pulls back the covers. She raises his gown, holds his penis in one hand and his testicles in the other, lifting and moving them around. Then, she takes a close look and says, "There's nothing wrong with them, sir!"
The man pulls off his oxygen mask, smiles at her and says very slowly, "Thank you very much. That was wonderful, but, listen very, very closely... "A r e - m y - t e s t - r e s u l t s - b a c k?"
The topic isn't donation, it's taking. But, yes, I do oppose it. It creates a market for dead humans. People always supply markets.
Posted by: oj at April 12, 2007 2:25 PMMonty Python persuasion, again. "I'm not dead yet!"
Posted by: ghostcat at April 12, 2007 4:12 PM