As a new report claims that premature organ transplants have endangered donors, HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced plans for a new initiative to reform the system.
Several families have stated that surgeons attempted to initiate organ retrievals while patients were still alive or improving, as noted in a July 20 report from The New York Times.
Amid a growing push for increased transplants, “a growing number of patients have endured premature or bungled attempts to retrieve their organs,” according to the report, which painted a picture of “rushed decision-making” and organ demand taking priority over donor safety.
In a recent investigation by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), there were more than 70 canceled organ removals in Kentucky alone “that should have been stopped sooner” because the patients showed signs of revival, the report stated.
The problem appears to be linked to an increase in “donation after circulatory death,” which is when the patient has not been declared “brain dead” but is critically ill or injured.
Hellbound and Down 