The Trump administration has launched a radical reform of the US organ transplant system amid reports that there may be a risk of organ donors harvesting body parts while still kicking alive.
The move, released by Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., comes shortly after an investigation by the Department of Health Resources and Services, which uncovered “intrusive” practices by major organ procurement organizations.
“Our findings show that hospitals allowed patients to begin organ procurement processes when they show signs of life, which is frightening,” Kennedy said in a statement.
“The organ procurement organizations that regulate access to transplants are accountable. The entire system must be fixed so that the lifespan of all potential donors is treated with the sanctity it deserves.”
The administration directed an organ procurement and transplant network that connects organ donation and transplant experts around the country, resuming cases with potentially preventable harm in patients who have been neurologically injured by federal organ procurement organizations serving southwestern Ohio and parts of West Virginia. The department did not name the organization.
The New York Times recently reported that a federal investigation began last fall after the organs of 36-year-old Kentucky's Anthony Thomas Hoover II were pursued even when she shook her head and painted her knees on her chest. Hoover's sister, Donna Lawler, previously told NPR she felt “betrayed people who said he was brain dead and awake.”
The Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Department of Health and Human Services, have announced new initiatives to reform the country's organ transplant system. The move comes after the investigation led to “terrifying” conclusions, he said (AFP via Getty Images)
Kentucky Organ Donor affiliates are the groups associated with this case and are part of the network for hope. He is a member of the United Network and is an organ sharing and newly formed organ procurement organization. Network for Hope criticised the Times report on its website page, saying it missed “an factual explanation and critical context about organ and tissue donations.”
“We are fully committed to transparency and accountability for their regulations regarding donations after circulating death donations…” the group said. “Our goal is and continues to meet the highest ethical and medical standards in donation and transplantation.”
There were around 48,000 organ transplants in 2024, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. He said that more than 7,200 donations followed the circulating donors of death last year, accounting for 43% of all deceased donors. Post-circulation post-mortem donations are defined as when the donor patient is still approaching life support, approaching death and not recovering.
Neither the staff nor the transplant expert said they were involved in the death decision.
“Patient safety is our number one priority. The Network for Hope looks forward to working with HHS and HRSA, encouraging the development of policies that support improvements to the entire organ transplant system.”
According to the Trump administration, the Biden administration's Organ Procurement and Transplant Network Membership and Specialist Standards Committee closed the lawsuit without action.
“HRSA requested a thorough and independent review of the behavior of organ procurement agencies and treatment of vulnerable patients. The HRSA's independent investigation revealed clear negligence after the previous OPTN board of directors claimed that they had not found any major concerns in the internal review,” the department wrote.
After examining more than 350 cases, organ donation was permitted, but was ultimately not completed, but found that 103 exhibited features related to the feature, including 73 patients with neurological signs that were incompatible with organ donation.
The Times reported that there were 12 additional cases in nine states that plague and investigate healthcare workers, citing interviews with healthcare workers and reviews of internal records, audio recordings and text messages.
Donations after circulatory death occur when someone has a brain injury that is non-viable, but all brain functions have not stopped, so the family decides to withdraw life support. Over 7,200 such donations last year, researchers are working on new ways to retrieve the hearts of these patients. (AP)
Additionally, the department said at least 28 patients may not have been completely dead at the time organ procurement began. The study found evidence indicating poor assessment of neurological assessments, lack of coordination with the healthcare team, suspicious consent practices, and misclassification of cause of death, particularly when overdose is involved.
He also said the vulnerability was highest in small, rural hospitals.
Depending on the findings of the investigation, the administration requires corrective action and “system-level changes.”
Data on safety-related outages for organ donation requested by staff in family, hospitals, or organ procurement organizations must be reported to regulatory authorities, and organ procurement and transplant networks should adopt formal procedures that allow staff to halt the donation process in the event of patient safety concerns. The network must also update the policy.
Last September, the federal government increased network oversight following a House Committee hearing, according to the Times.
According to the administration, as of 2022, 170 million Americans had registered as organ donors. Not everyone who registers can donate, and only 3 in 1,000 people have died in a way that allows for the donation of the organs they have deceased.
“These findings from the HHS confirm what the Trump administration has been warning for so long. The reckless neglect of bureaucrats, outdated systems and human life have failed to protect our most vulnerable citizens,” the department wrote.
Report from the Associated Press
