L.A. Hospital Gets Rebuke for Transplant (gave Saudi man liver w/o wait)

[UpInArms]

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-transplant-scandal,0,6664558.story

LOS ANGELES -- St. Vincent Medical Center received a rebuke from the national organ-donation network for allowing a patient to skip to the top of the waiting list for a new liver in 2003, bypassing others who were sicker.

It was the first time the United Network for Organ Sharing publicly sanctioned a member.

"It sends a message about the overall importance of patient safety and regard for the public health," the network's executive director, Walter Graham, said Thursday.

St. Vincent admitted in September that its doctors had improperly arranged for a Saudi man to receive a liver intended for a higher-priority patient. Federal inspectors also found that the hospital removed the rightful recipient from the waiting list without telling him that it was doing so. The man later died.

...more...

[The Backlash Cometh]

1. Jeez. What a message this sends.

In the spirit of free trade, our lives are disposable as long as a foreigner has money to skip to the front of the line.

[saigon68]

15. Follow the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

I wonder if Drinking caused this person their disease

[goclark]

2. Shame on St. Vincent's

They got caught doing what I'm sure other hospitals do every day.

The Rich and Powerful get richer and more powerful every day.

[Divernan]

34. Saudis always went to the head of line in Pittsburgh transplant programs

Nurse married to a resident working under Thomas Starzell in the Pittsburgh transplant program (back in the 80's) talked about the great gifts all the Saudi (royal) patients gave to the doctors - like Rolex watches. She said these wealthy recipients were routinely put ahead of Americans.

[Canuckistanian]

3. Whoa. What a bombshell.

This will probably add to the already volatile anti-Arab sentiments going on right now with the Ports deal.

[adriennui]

5. this has nothing to do with arabs

it's a case of money screwing over everyone and everything. i would bet this was no ordinary arab working man. i felt the same way when i heard about mickey mantle and papa john.

[Canuckistanian]

6. I agree, but that won't stop the Arab haters from using this

In case you haven't noticed, anti-Arabism is one of the main reasons behind some people's opposition to the Ports deal.

[Occulus]

11. That would be a canard

Everyone I've talked to- and this includes average-Joe types I work with- are, to a man, more concerned about those jobs not being held by Americans than they are about those same jobs being held by Arabs specifically.

It is the right-wing hacks who are saying with their self-proclaimed sagacious authority that it is anti-Arab sentiment causing the uproar.

It is not.

[Canuckistanian]

16. I understand your point

And the administrtation has always tried to steer away from direct condemnation of Arabs or Muslims as a whole.

BUT, neither do they try to dissuade or condemn those that DO use racism. It comes in handy for them to keep the uneducated freeps on their side when they need to fight wars.

It's very subtle, but obvious to me.

But this time, it's come back to bite them in the ass.

And for Bushco to be screaming about racism now is utter hypocrisy.

[central scrutinizer]

9. true - Mickey Mantle case

He also moved to the top of the list since he was a famous beloved baseball player. Add to that the fact that he destroyed his liver through alcohol abuse and only lived a few months with the new one before he died rankled a lot of people.

[LostinVA]

26. And Larry Hagman

Who destroyed his liver through heavy drinking.

[UpInArms]

4. sidenote question: Didn't Osama bin Forgotten need a liver? ... eom

[Canuckistanian]

7. Kidney failure, actually

He needs dialysis.

[UpInArms]

10. thanks for that -

bits and bytes slip away :D

[Pastiche423]

36. NeedeD

Silly, dead men don't need dialysis.

[jarab]

8. The main reason I am not a donor ....

If they can sell a donated organ to the highest bidder, why not buy them under the same rules?
These people are making a fortune off the good intentions of donors.
Follow the money to all solutions.
...O...

[Orangepeel]

12. because "they" don't

This is NOT the norm. I can assure you that no one got rich from my husband's transplant (well, except me, I guess, because the extra time has been/will be priceless)

[hang a left]

21. How would anybody know the frequency with which this happens.

I am glad your husband got the transplant he (and you) both needed. I think it would be a bit naive to think that you can't "buy" an organ. I am glad your husband wasn't the one who was replaced on this particular list since things didn't wind up too good for him.

[Orangepeel]

23. it is a big process with a lot of people involved

The hospital will have a committee that discusses transplant patients and decides who gets on the list. It is a very tightly controlled process with a lot of people involved. Someone with a conscience would tell UNOS, which is what seems to have happened here.

If the facts are as stated in the article, it is a very egregious thing. But it is not common.

[hang a left]

24. Are you saying there isn't a black market for organs?

[Orangepeel]

27. I am saying that US hospitals that are part of the transplant system

have controlled processes that make the system as fair as possible, given that more people need organs than there are organs available.

Not every hospital is allowed to do transplants. Some are allowed to do some types of transplants but not others. Hopsitals that do transplants follow a tightly controlled process. For UNOS to publicly repuke a hospital? That hospital is accused of doing something terrible and unusual.

I have no idea what happens in foreign countries. And, of course, I can't say that there is no black market in the US. I can't prove a negative.

But, I believe it would have to happen outside of the system and that finding a donor that was a match, going through a complicated surgery, and having the necessary follow up care and drug thearpy outside of the system would be very difficult.

If it happens, it is rare. People who donate their or their loved one's organs can be sure that the vast, vast majority of those donations go to the people who best match/need them most.

[hang a left]

29. I don't want you to prove a negative.

I am a paranoid person. I certainly don't want to encourage someone to not be a donor. I would hate to need the same organ as a very wealthy corporate sponsor of the US government. That is all.

[goclark]

40. I agree!

[Mizmoon]

13. slightly OT, I work in a hospital

there is a fella who walks by my office every day carrying a cooler. Once day I asked him if there were organs in there. He smiled and said, "No, just blood."

Yep, I work at a place where people walk around with blood in coolers.

[Texasgal]

25. Please don't NOT be a donor because of a few

Bad apples!

I am an RN, and I cannot begin to tell you how important the donor program really is!

I find that the fedearl transplant list is indeed pretty fair, sure some things slip through, but many, many people are alive because of it!

Please... I beg of you to RE-THINK your stance!!

[jarab]

33. I'm aware that it's a needed program ....

My uncle is walking around (sorta) today because of a donated heart six years ago.
In his case, he was placed ahead of others, and he had no assets, not even insurance. It did help that many others on the waiting list ahead of him had died, were too far removed from the hospital, or ill-fitted for the particular available organ.
I haven't ruled it out; am torn on the issue. But, for anyone to convince me that all is above board in the organ donor program would be a tough sell. Follow the money (Mickey Mantle).
Thanks for the respectful reply.
...O...

[noonwitch]

14. There's not enough information for me to be overly critical here

The hospital may have a legitimate reason for their actions, and they may be saving their full response for court proceedings.

The hospital may have been participating in one of those international relief situations, where they help people in need get good medical care in this country. I don't have a problem with those programs, although they usually are for helping children. U of M Hospitals participate in those programs.

[Sapere aude]

18. What about the part where they bumped a patient off the list?

You have enough information about that. Do you feel they had a legitimate reason for that? He died because of it I'm presuming.

[Megahurtz]

22. They should never have bumped that patient off the list.

Sounds like some corruption going on.

[Orangepeel]

17. this is really, really egregious

The organ donation system is, in my experience, a fair one (or as fair as any allocation of scarce resources could be). (I actually don't know much about livers -- since partial liver transplants *can* involve a living donor, the process might be different).

But, any events like this, no matter how rare (and it would be rare for UNOS to make it public) just discourages people from helping others live by donating organs that they'll have no more use for.

(IMO, not donating an organ is like a restaurant destroying leftover food instead of letting the homeless eat it -- it just doesn't make any sense)

[MadMaddie]

19. I understand helping other countries sick and ill...

I have no problem with that....I am not an isolationist by any means...

This kind of goes to the heart of what's wrong with our country right now....

Americans don't come first....everyone else in the world does....other countries economies are more important than the US economy and the list goes on....

The American that got pushed off of the top of the list died....that is the important thing here....

Also, what did St. Vincent get out of this?....I would guess that they received some major funding from the recipient....

[Megahurtz]

20. Niiiiiiice

Fucking niiiiice. I just love where this country is headed.:sarcasm:

[JudyM]

28. Pity they can't make him give it back. nt

[tecelote]

30. America - It's all about the Money.

[DiverDave]

31. I have to wonder

what the family of the person who should have gotten this organ is doing?

Surely not SUING the hospital, because that is just a way for the lawyers to make more money that will drive up the health care costs for ALL OF US. :sarcasm:

These greedy bastards have the blood of that person that died (if they died because of the non-transplant) on their hands.
I wonder,too, if that makes it hard for them to sleep at night.

I suspect not, they sleep fine I guess, knowing the hospital made money on the death of a person that couldn't outbid the saudi (presumably)

[ismnotwasm]

32. I actually heard about this a month or so ago

I'm surprised it's in LBN.
I work on a transplant unit. People with insurance get organs, as well as the categorically needy. People who have abused their livers get livers, as well as people with genetic disorders, suicide attempts. Sometimes the liver failure folks develop hepatotrenal failure, sometimes needing a kidney as well. There are ethical panels that look over candidates. Until recently, smoking was a reason not to get an organ where I work. We face ethical dilemmas ever single day. Who deserves to live, and who deserves to die? That is what it boils down to.
I've taken care people who shot dope into the early 80's and developed Hep C, leading to liver failure even though they had lived very productive lives since then. Or who had a reaction to a perscribed medication.
Young suicide attempts, (We'll say under 22) needing emergency livers..

Then there are the diabetic, who through no fault of their own, develop kidney failure. Or need a pancreas. Or, again, have genetic kidney disorders leading to kidney failure. I understand the anger this causes, but I work with people who wait for months, not because someone from Saudi is getting a liver, but because of blood type. Or they just aren't "sick" enough. And the children, the babies.

For anyone who objects to being a donor, I'm not trying to change your mind, but for those of you who are, please don't let news like this change your mind. The people I take care of for the most part are incredibly grateful for their organs, and I've heard over and over again how they feel the greatest gift they can give the donor is to take care of themselves.

[goclark]

35. My relative donated her body to medical science

She was 93 years old.


I have my pink dot on my driver's license and will follow the lead of my relative.

[ljaycox]

37. If your don't mind your body...

being desecrated after you die--go ahead. I you don't mind your body parts being sold online for medical demonstrations--knock yourself out. There are plenty of people in that system making a killing off your idealism. So if it makes you feel good, stick with it. You may want to look up the story in Harper's about this program before diver's lisence renewal time.

[goclark]

39. I'll take my chances

My mother received a cornea transplant and the joy that we felt from that was enormous.

I'm sure they need to fix the system but until they do, I would rather give someone hope than to be put in the ground to rot.

[WhiteTara]

38. well, this is what we must do for our new

masters :grr:

[IndianaGreen]

41. The late Governor Bob Casey got a liver ahead of people on waiting list

This wonderful Democratic pro-life governor, whose son is now running for Senate, got a liver transplant ahead of people that had been waiting for years, but were too poor and unimportant in relation to the governor.

[tabasco]

42. The Overlords have priority.

The rest of us just die!

[gulfcoastliberal]

43. Why didn't the royal Arabian just go to China for this?

I hear they happily shot their prisoners in the head to sell the organs. I think my organs will get buried with me, unless they're illegally removed like that body shop in NY.

I think the transplant industry is corrupt, slimy, and disgusting. They pressure people to allow them to harvest organs while their loved ones are still alive on life support. They make a lot of money off this dispicable practice.