Man declared brain dead wakes up to find his organs about to be harvested: ScienceAlert

A Kentucky man who woke up just as his organs were about to be harvested for donation has called into question the procedures used by U.S. hospitals and organ donation networks to certify death.

Whistleblower Nicoletta Martin outlined the horrifying incident in a letter to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee. September hearing About the country's organ procurement and transplantation system.

While in office As an organ preservationist Kentucky Organ Donation Affiliate (KODA), Martin was allegedly reviewing case notes for an October 2021 surgical procedure.

According to reports According to National Public Radio (NPR), the US public broadcaster, these case records show that the donor showed signs of life after laboratory tests to assess the suitability of the heart for transplant purposes. It was showing.

“The donor woke up that morning in surgery for a cardiac catheterization.'' martin said NPR's Rob Stein. “And he was thrashing around on the table.”

The patient at the center of the case was 36-year-old Anthony Thomas “TJ” Huber II, who was rushed to Baptist Health Hospital in Richmond, Kentucky, after suffering a drug overdose.

Declared brain dead due to cardiac arrest, TJ was removed from life support and preparations were made for organ donation, in accordance with his wishes.

TJ's sister, Donna Lawler, was by her brother's side after his death. Mr Lawlor recalled seeing TJ with his eyes open and looking around while walking to the theater with other family members, but staff told him this was a common reflex. That's what it means.

It wasn't until much later that TJ made even more dramatic moves on the operating table.was visibly crying'' said the medical staff in the room with alarm.

Due to his confusion and emotional reaction to the situation, the surgeon refused to proceed with the surgery, despite Koda allegedly requesting another doctor to follow him, a charge Koda denies.

“The surgeon who procured it was like, 'There's nothing we can do. We don't want to be involved,'” said Natasha Miller, an organ conservation specialist at the hospital. told NPR.

“It was very chaotic. Everyone was very upset.”

Thankfully, TJ is still alive and being cared for by his sister, but… According to a report from NPRhe has ongoing problems with language, memory, and movement.

The incident is under investigation by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration. Baptist Health Richmond issued a statement via NPR asserting that patient safety is its top priority, but KODA argued that the incident was not accurately represented.

in a statement “If the patient's condition improves or cardiac arrest does not occur within the donation deadline, the family will be notified that donation cannot be made and the patient will continue to be under hospital care,” Koda wrote in a paper published in September. “I'll be there,” he wrote. This is exactly what happened in the incident in question. ”

Determining a patient's chance of regaining some level of consciousness in the future depends primarily on: meet a list of criteria It is about the state of brain function that balances certainty against a variety of other needs and concerns.

Setting standards too rigidly means that patients with a slim chance of recovery may hog resources such as hospital beds and ventilators. Or even organs – Then another patient might survive. If it is too lenient, rare events like this one will become rarer, and public trust in the health care system will be shaken.

“That's everyone's worst nightmare, isn't it? Being alive during surgery and knowing that someone is going to cut you open and take out your body parts?” martin said NPR. “That's scary.”

Organ transplants are currently a major health issue in the United States, and the current administration work on reform It will be built into the system to improve accountability and transparency.

Concerns have been raised about the potential for such mistakes to occur, as well as accusations of inequalities in donation, excessive waiting times and waste of donated organs being leveled at existing networks.

more Last year, 46,000 organ transplants were successfully performed in the United States. that's just a part Approximately 100,000 patients But transplants would not be possible without the kind gifts of strangers and the dedication of medical staff whose experience, care, and vigilance ensure safe and ethical delivery.

Researchers will have to determine why TJ has become such a seemingly rare statistic, and confirm that it really does become even rarer.