A case of a Kentucky man who woke up as his organs were about to be harvested for donation has raised questions about the protocols used by hospitals and organ donation networks to declare someone dead.
Whistleblower Nyckoletta Martin recounted the shocking case in a letter to the U.S.
House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee during a September hearing on the country`s organ donation and transplant system.
Martin, who worked as an organ preservationist for the Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA), reviewed the notes from the surgical procedure performed in October 2021.
According to NPR, the notes showed that the donor had shown signs of life after a test to see if his heart could be used for transplant.
“The donor had woken up during a procedure that morning,” Martin told NPR.
“He was moving around a lot on the table.”
The patient in question is Anthony Thomas “TJ” Hoover II, 36, who was rushed to Baptist Health Hospital in Richmond, Kentucky, after an overdose.
TJ was declared brain dead after cardiac arrest.
He was removed from life support for organ donation, in accordance with his wishes.
TJ`s sister, Donna Rhorer, was at her brother`s bedside after his death.
She and other family members recall seeing TJ open his eyes as he was wheeled into the operating room, but were told by staff that this was a normal reflex.
It was only later, when TJ began to move more intensely on the operating table and was “visibly crying,” that the medical team became concerned.
In a chaotic and emotional response, the surgeons decided not to proceed with the procedure, although KODA requested that another doctor take over the case ” something KODA denies.
“The surgeon said, “I”m out of this.
I don`t want anything to do with this, Natasha Miller, an organ preservationist at the hospital, told NPR.
TJ thankfully survived and is now in the care of his sister, though he still has difficulty with speech, memory and movement, according to NPR.
The case is being investigated by the U.S.Health Resources and Services Administration.
Baptist Health Richmond Hospital has said the safety of its patients is its top priority, while KODA maintains that the case was not properly represented.
In a September statement, KODA wrote that “if a patient`s condition improves or they do not go into cardiac arrest within the time required for donation, the family is informed that donation cannot occur, and the patient remains in the hospital`s care.
That is exactly what happened in this case.” Determining whether a patient will regain consciousness in the future depends on strict criteria regarding brain function, which balance safety with other needs.
If these criteria are too strict, patients with minimal chances of recovery could take up resources like beds, ventilators, and even organs that could save other patients.
But if they”re too lax, rare cases like this could happen more frequently, undermining public trust in the medical system.
“That`s every person`s worst nightmare, right” Being alive during surgery and knowing that someone is going to cut you open and take your organs Martin told NPR.
“It`s terrifying.”
Organ transplantation is a significant health issue in the U.S., with the current administration implementing reforms to increase transparency and accountability in the system.
In addition to concerns about mistakes like this, there are allegations of inequity in donation, excessive wait times, and waste of donated organs in the current systems.
Last year, more than 46,000 organ transplants were performed in the U.S.
This represents just a small fraction of the estimated 100,000 patients awaiting transplants, something that is only possible thanks to the generous gesture of donors and the work of the medical team, whose experience and dedication make donation safe and ethical.
Understanding why TJ became such a rare exception is something that researchers need to figure out to ensure that this becomes even rarer.
Publicado em 10/29/2024 09h26
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