JESSICA
SANTILLAN - DUKE UNIVERSITY
HEART TRANSPLANT CASE STUDY
|
LEGAL
AND FACTUAL ISSUES |
BIOETHICAL
ISSUES |
|
Can an "illegal" have a transplant ahead of a U.S. citizen or legal resident? |
Should "illegals" have transplants - Kantian (autonomy, beneficence, non- maleficence and social justice) - Utilitarian (consequences perspective) - Virtue Ethics (looks to the character and motivation of the action ) |
|
How did she get first transplant? - Factual and Procedural Issues - UNOS Criteria - Limited "useful life" of organs as affects geographic distribution |
Is the current method of criteria, waiting lists and distribution fair and "right" |
|
|
|
|
How did she get the second transplant - UNOS Criteria - seriousness of condition - likelihood of survival |
Is the current method of criteria, waiting lists and distribution fair and "right" |
|
Declaration of brain death and family objection to removal from "life support" - Brain death vs. withdrawing life support - Consent |
Should family be the final decision-makers when determining when death has occurred |
|
Costs - who pays for all this - Fundraising by the well-intention |
Allocation of limited resources |
|
Demand by the money-raisers that the second set of organs be re-transplanted |
|
|
Liability of Duke and physicians - error in not checking blood type |
Should there be a different standard of care for such high-risk activity |
|
What is the value of a wrongful death case |
|
OPTN Data
Annual Report
Median Waiting Time
|
ORGAN |
1995 |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kidney |
813 |
881 |
975 |
1080 |
1151 |
--- |
--- |
|
Pancreas |
254 |
324 |
338 |
359 |
419 |
529 |
522 |
|
Liver |
228 |
333 |
424 |
484 |
655 |
778 |
--- |
|
Intestines |
282 |
288 |
208 |
149 |
217 |
175 |
172 |
|
Heart |
186 |
191 |
182 |
207 |
204 |
191 |
153 |
|
Lung |
469 |
517 |
622 |
689 |
776 |
748 |
--- |
|
Heart-lung |
676 |
618 |
889 |
935 |
573 |
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