...CC: Date: Re: As the lead surgeon and the decision maker for all transplant cases, I have been faced with another transplant dilemma. I received a call and was notified that a heart has become available for a transplant, but due to time restrictions a decision on where the heart goes must be made immediately. I currently have 3 patients that are candidates for this heart. I have decided to give the heart to Jerry, a 55 year old, father of 3 children, who has an immediate need for a heart and stands to be the most effective choice. I believe Jerry is the best candidate for the transplant because of the expected outcome. Jerry is 55 years old, married to a stay at home mom with 3 dependent children, the oldest in college and the youngest with special needs. His wife does not have the education to earn a decent income nor means to carry her own insurance policy. Based on this information the mother would have a difficult time providing for herself and her kids without government or other assistance. Jerry does not have any ongoing health issues or a strenuous job and is eligible for retirement in 5 years. Therefore, the possibility of an extended life expectancy and future healthy organ donation are promising. Additionally, Jerry has an immediate need for a heart transplant and has no chance for survival without it. The patient is currently here awaiting this procedure and he can be prepped and ready for a transplant as soon as the heart arrives at the hospital. Lisa, a 12 year...
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...of the heart transplant has been chosen. I will describe to you the process of this decision and evaluation and how the decision was made. Although the time in which to make such a drastic and life changing decision was brief, the decision was made with moral, professional and ethical choices. There were three qualifying candidates who were in need of the transplant: The first is a 55 year old male named Jerry, who is a husband and father of 3 children, aged 14, 16, and 19, a Middle Level Manager at a carpet distributing business and 5 years short of his retirement. His heart is damaged due to the use of steroids in his early 20’s when he was involved with bodybuilding before the dangers of steroid use were fully known. If Jerry gets the heart, his chances of living another 10-15 years are very high. The second is a 12 year old girl named Lisa. She is the only child in the family, and they cannot bear more children. She reads voraciously and yet likes playing with her Barbie Dolls. Lisa has suffered health issues all her life due to various viral infections and a lupus-like immune deficiency. Her heart was damaged during a nasty bout with pneumonia last year and actually stopped for a brief period. Even with a transplant, her chances of surviving into her 20’s are not good. Finally we have a 38 year old male named Ozzy who is homeless and a former crack cocaine abuser. His heart condition is due to continued abuse and overdosing of crack cocaine and without a transplant he will...
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...Memorandum To: Peer Review Committee/ Board of Trustees From: Tammy Gonzalez CC: Major Hospital Date: February 5, 2016 RE: Heart Transplant Decision As the Lead Surgeon and the person responsible for making the decisions for the transplant cases in the hospital, it often creates circumstances in which I have to make difficult ethical decisions. Currently, I have three people waiting for a heart transplant, but I only have one heart that has recently become available. From an ethical perspective, all candidates are equally deserving of the heart despite any past or current actions that may have contributed to their condition. After taking everything into consideration, I feel as though, 12-year-old Lisa will benefit the most in this situation. This resolution was a result of utilitarian ethics, which bases the value of consequences of an action by determining the ethical value of the action itself. Utilitarianism relies on the “greater good”, in which the actions that cause pleasure to the greatest number of those most worth doing. The first candidate Jerry is a 55 years old mid- level manager at a carpet distributing business and is five years short of retirement. He has three teenage children with his wife Joanie, who is a stay- at- home mother. Although Jerry needs the transplant because of his steroid use during his 20’s to satisfy his bodybuilding phase, we can't judge him since back then no one had any awareness of the harmful effects that steroids can have....
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...To: - XYZ From: - Date: - RE: - Heart Transplant It has come to my attention that there are three qualifying candidates who are in need of available heart transplant. In this short duration of time, I have to decide which candidate is the most suitable for the heart transplant. The main purpose of this memorandum is to inform you about the decision that has been made for heart transplant patient. I want to address the process of this decision, and how I have incorporated professional and ethical views in decision making process. I evaluated all three patients’ current situation and their need for transplant. Jerry is 55 years old family man. He is in desperate need of a new heart because his heart fails at early age due to a use of steroid. The possible danger of steroid was unknown at that time. Lisa is 12 years old girl living with lifelong diseases. Her heart stops working after a struggle with pneumonia. Her father, Dr Joe, is a leading oncologist in our hospital and offering $2 million dollars donation. Lastly, Ozzy is 38 years old homeless drug abuser. His heart condition is due to continue drug abuse and overdosing of crack cocaine. After a brief study about their need for heart and their conditions, I decided that Jerry is the perfect candidate for heart transplant and will benefit most from this procedure. First, I have considered some common ethical and moral values in my decision making process. In case of Ozzy, I think it is unethical to judge a worth of...
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...7 Steps in Decision Making Cedric Allen HSC 335 Jeannette Orr May 23, 2016 Introduction Mickey Mantle, better known as “The Commerce Comet” was a well-known baseball players during the 50’s and 60’s. He was known for his on-field superstardom, and his off-field conduct. In 1995, he received a liver transplant. This transplant caused uproar in the ethics community because Mantle, was moved ahead of others on the list. In this paper we will explore the seven steps in decision making that caused Mantel to receive the liver transplant and determine whether the decision was based on ethics. Identify a problem or opportunity When identifying a problem the first step is to recognize the problem and/or opportunities and determine if they are worth going through the process. Once this is determined we must see what impact the decision will make on the customers, and how this problem will be solved or the opportunity taken advantage of. In the case of Mickey Mantle the problem we face is that Mickey liver is failing him and if he does not get a transplant immediately he will die. This problem is no different than the rest of the liver transplant candidates, but not only is Mickey’s liver failing him but he has a plethora of other medical problems. “The current organ distribution method in the United States relies on each transplant center to determine which criteria they will use to fairly allocate organs.42 UNOS encourages transplant centers to consider...
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...All vested parties Re: Donor Heart Transplant Recipient Determination Memorandum Decision summary: It’s in my professional determination as lead surgeon that the current heart tissue donor of the heart received May 12, 2015 is the candidate who represents the most urgent need and best match. This recipients Lisa. Lisa represents the most urgent need, due to the most critical condition of her current situation. She has reached a state where her survival rate without an immediate transplant will bottom out. There is no time for her to remain on a list for another heart transplant to be made available. She has suffered cardiac arrest recently, and without a transplant, she will most likely not reach another birthday. Per medical laboratory studies and determination, Lisa is a match for the current heart transplant, and given her weakened immune system and her previous system failure, her survival rate after transplant may not be perfect, but is in the acceptable range for heart transplant recipients. Her prognosis will improve drastically in all her other areas hopefully of pathology and her long term life expectancy in her 20’s which may improve given the benefits of a new heart. It was a difficult moral and ethical decision to by pass the two other available recipients, but as their life expectancy is approximately equal to Lisa’s at the current time, her urgent need and lack of stability is the key determining factor. This decision is in no way related to the position...
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...which I have taken to pick a heart transplant. The decision must be made in a timely manner. However, it needs to be made in proficient ethic manner as well. I have 3 patients awaiting a heart transplant and will need to schedule surgery immediately after the decision is made. The three patients are Jerry a male at age 55, Lisa a female at age 12, and Ozzy a male at age 38. Jerry is a mid-level manager for a carpet distribution facility and is soon retiring. He seems to be the only source of income in his house for his wife has no education beyond high-school and is a stay at home mother. He also has 3 kids, 1 of which is currently in college. The heart damage was caused by a use of steroids in his 20s when he was into body building. It is very likely that if Jerry receives the heart transplant that he will live 10-15 years longer. It is crucial that he receives a heart transplant immediately since he is the only source of income for his house-hold. Lisa has suffered from illness all of her life. She also has Lupus like symptoms in the sense that she is a poor immune system when it comes to getting viral infections. She is the only child in the family and her parents can no longer bear any more children. She developed the heart issues due to a bad dispute of pneumonia last year when her heart completely stopped. Also due to having health problems all of her life it is not likely that she will live beyond the age 20 if she receives the heart transplant. Her father is also a fellow...
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...commitment by deciding to become an organ donor, your decision could help to save or enhance up to 50 lives. Signing up to be a donor as never been easier, as of July 1, 2013 you can sign up to be a donor on the internet through the South Dakota Department of Public Safety website. You can also become a donor when you apply or renew your driver’s license by checking the box. . A new name is added to the national waiting list every 13 minutes. As of March 16, 2014 there are 121,663 people waiting for an organ. Approximately 80 people receive organ transplants each day. Unfortunately, 18 people die every day waiting for an organ. One donor can save up to 8 lives and enhance many others with tissue and blood donations. Patients can wait for months, even years on the waiting list, before they either get a transplant or they die waiting. One donor can save up to 8 lives and enhance many others with tissue and blood donations. Patients can wait for months, even years on the waiting list, before they either get a transplant or they die waiting The definition of organ donation is the donation of biological tissue or an organ of the human body, from a living or deceased person to a living recipient in need of a transplant. The organs of the body that can be transplanted currently are kidneys, heart, lungs, liver, pancreas, and the intestines. Kidney/pancreas transplants, heart/lung transplants and other combined organ transplants are also performed. Once an organ is taken out of the...
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...The Ethics of Organ Transplant Alexander Ontiverios Ethics 445 Course April 2011 Deciding a recipient for an organ transplant is a major decision. There are more people requiring organ transplants than there are organs to be given. This insufficient number of organs makes the decision one that can be based off of ethical theories. The first approach I took to this situation was the utilitarian approach. I first identified the various courses of action available to me. I have to choose between three people and decide which one will receive a heart transplant based on their history. If Jerry receives the heart, his chances of living another 15 years is very high, his mother and 3 children will be left with no support if Jerry fails to receive this transplant. The second patient Lisa who has a serious history of health issues, has an unlikely chance of living another 8 years even if the transplant is successful. Her mother and father, who are unable to conceive any more kids will be affected. The last patient Ozzy has a history of serious drug abuse. He was given the opportunity to receive a transplant through an organization he volunteers at. He has promised to stay drug free after the transplant and continue volunteering as a counselor to kids, but recidivism is a sever risk with his history of abuse. The children will be affected because they will lose him as a counselor. In my opinion I believe if Jerry received the heart transplant, it would produce the greatest benefit...
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...Potential candidates for heart transplant Heart transplant Candidate It has come to my attention that a decision it needed to see which candidate is the most likely best potential candidate to receive a heart transplant. All the patients have real life threatening conditions and need a heart transplant as soon as possible. The first candidate is a married 55 year old male father of three, two of them are teenagers and the other is in college. This patient’s heart condition occurred when they were younger they experimented with steroids while he was bodybuilding in his twenties his heart became damaged due to the steroids. The second potential candidate for the heart transplant young twelve year old female, she has suffered from health issues all her life due to various viral infections and an immune deficiency that is almost like lupus. Her heart became damaged during case of pneumonia she received last year it was so severe that it caused her heart to stop, she was brought back to life by her mother who performed CPR which saved her life; and her father is a resident doctor oncologist in our facility. The third potential candidate is a thirty-eight year old male who has been homeless for about ten years, and has also abused cocaine and other potential narcotics in his life time. Without a heart transplant this patient will most likely will not survive till the end of the month. His lifestyle has lead him down a path in which without a transplant he will not survive. ...
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...Improving Transplant Outcomes Through Shared Imaging Old Dominion University Health Informatics CHP 485 Dr. Ann Marie Kopitzke IMPROVING TRANSPLANT OUTCOMES THROUGH SHARED IMAGING “Organ donation and transplantation have saved countless lives.”(New York Organ Donor Network, 2012, p. 1) When organ transplant first started, organ allocation started simply with calling local or regional transplant centers to offer an available organ. Today, the organ allocation system is much more complex and utilizes multiple platforms to ensure the best possible placement of a transplantable organ. Currently, the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) is the federally designated entity that maintains the organ waiting list and allocation system. The UNOS system is similar to a clinical data warehouse (CDW), which “is a shared database that collects, integrates and stores clinical data from a variety of sources including electronic health records, radiology and other information systems.” (Hoyt, Yoshihashi, & Bailey, 2007, p. 45) The system not only stores information about organ donors and potential transplant recipients, it also maintains the waiting list and “generates a ranked list of candidates for each available organ in ranked order according to OPTN organ allocation policies.” (UNOS, n.d., p. 1) The UNOS data warehouse is a great system, but lacks one key piece of technology that would allow transplant centers to more quickly and efficiently evaluate an organ. For example...
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...Hospital XYZ November 9, 2014 Memorandum for Record: As the lead surgeon and the sole decision maker for all transplant cases, I have a dilemma on my hands. I had just received a call and was notified that a heart has become available for a transplant. I currently have 3 patients that are candidates for this heart. Time is of the essence; therefore I have decided to give the heart to Jerry, a 55 year old, married and father of 3 children. I believe Jerry is the best candidate for the transplant because of his overall situation. As I mentioned before, he is only 55 years old, married and has 3 children, the youngest has special needs. His wife does not have a higher education, or has been gainfully employed in some time. With that said, she will have a difficult time providing for herself and their children. Jerry does not have a strenuous job and is eligible for retirement in 5 years and then he can take it easy. Even though his bad heart is a result of self-inflicted steroid use during his early 20’s, the dangers associated with that use were not fully known. Since then, he has changed his life style and has a family that depends on him. With this transplant, he can live another 10 -15 years and I do not see any ill effects of him receiving this new heart and the fact that he is currently here awaiting this procedure, he can be prepped and ready to go by the time the heart arrives at the hospital making him the perfect choice. Lisa would be my choice because of her...
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...receiving federal funds, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 extended this protection more broadly across other areas of society. However, it has historically been difficult to enforce federal civil rights law within the area of medical decision-making. Due to the lack of medical knowledge on the part of the average patient or family member, people with I/DD often face little recourse when denied transplantation or even referral for consideration for such a procedure. In the last twenty years, some progress has been made on this issue, yet the need for further action on the part of activists and policymakers remains exceptionally clear. Background … it has historically been difficult to enforce federal civil rights law within the area of medical decision-making. People with I/DD and Organ Transplantation: A History of Discrimination In 1995, Sandra Jensen, a 34-year old woman with Down Syndrome and a terminal heart condition, was referred by her physician for a combined heart and lung transplant as the only available means of saving her life 1. Her insurer—the California State Medicaid system—approved the procedure with the requirement that it be performed at one of California’s two designated transplant centers. Both centers refused to approve...
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...Hospital Trustees From: -Lead Surgeon Date: January 20, 2013 Subject: Heart Transplant Candidate The purpose of this memorandum is to come to a conclusion about which individual should receive the heart transplant taking into account ethics. There are three people who are in need of the organ transplant; Jerry, Lisa, and Ozzy. In order to make an informed decision it is important to look at all three cases. Candidate #1- Jerry is a 55 year old male with three children. In his early 20’s Jerry used steroids which in turn damaged his heart. His life expectancy would increase by about 10-15 years with this transplant. Candidate #2- Lisa is a 12 year old female. Her heart was damaged when she contracted pneumonia a year ago. Lisa has had health problems all her life due to a lupus-like immune deficiency. Even with the transplant, it is unlikely that Lisa will live through her 20’s. Candidate #3- Ozzy is a 38 year old male who has a history of drug abuse. As a result of Ozzy’s drug use, he will not be able to live past the month. With the transplant Ozzy has the life expectancy of 10+ years. The Rights Theory The Rights Theory state that an action is ethical is it respects the rights that all individuals have. Taking this theory into account, I do not think it is ethical to accept the 2 million dollars which are being offered to the hospital in exchange for Lisa to receive the transplant. All three of the candidates should have the same opportunities and the money...
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...helping you with strengthening your memorandum about the decision to give the donated heart to Jerry. Now, let’s take a look at your draft, starting with a strength. Your presentation of each candidate is clear with a balanced discussion of the pros and cons of each claim. *Jenny 5806136 has requested that you respond to the Main Idea/Thesis: The memorandum should tell the reader exactly what the issue is and give all the essential information in the subject line and in the first sentence of the first paragraph. Your subject and first sentence are too general: * Transplanting Organs * The purpose of this memorandum is to inform you that the recipient of the organ transplant has been chosen. Your memo is not about organ transplants in general; it is about the decision to give a heart to Jerry. What will you say in the subject line to tell your readers exactly what the memo is about? Avoid an announcement style in your first sentence. Instead, state the topic. For example, “The committee has decided to implement three changes to improve the effectiveness of the sales team.” What is the decision that you are informing your readers of? They want to know your main idea—who will receive the organ—before they read your reasons. You can go on to explain the dilemma and the benefits for Jerry and denial of benefits for the other two candidates. I encourage you to inform your readers of the main idea—the decision—in the subject...
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