Category Archives: brain injury

Let’s Have a REAL Discussion: Bioethicists Preach, Fail to Teach on Brain Death

bioethics, brain death, brain injury, media coverage, media issues, medical issues, Our News & Commentary Blog, , , , ,

By now, most readers of this blog are probably familiar with the story of Jahi McMath, a 13-year-old girl who underwent surgery on December 9, 2013 at Oakland Children’s Hospital.  During post-op recovery, she started bleeding.  Eventually, she went into cardiac arrest. She was then put on a ventilator. Two days later doctors made a … Continue reading Let’s Have a REAL Discussion: Bioethicists Preach, Fail to Teach on Brain Death →

Press Release: Not Dead Yet Urges Secretary Sebelius and Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network to Prohibit Organ Procurers from Pressuring Sick or Injured to Give Up on Living

brain injury, donation after cardiac death, HHS, Institute of Medicine, life-sustaining treatment, OPTN, organ donation, Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, Our News & Commentary Blog, Press Releases, Second Thoughts, United Network on Organ Sharing

Summary:  Not Dead Yet, a national disability rights organization, is calling upon Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network to adopt national standards prohibiting organ procurement staff from initiating organ donation discussions with individuals or family members before they have made a decision to withdraw life-sustaining treatment. The … Continue reading Press Release: Not Dead Yet Urges Secretary Sebelius and Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network to Prohibit Organ Procurers from Pressuring Sick or Injured to Give Up on Living →

NY Lawsuit Claims Organ Donor Network Engaged in ‘Shameful Practices,’ Pressuring Staff and Families

brain death, brain injury, litigation, New York Organ Donor Network, organ donation, organ transplants, Our News & Commentary Blog, rush to judgment

There’s a potentially explosive lawsuit that’s gotten limited coverage so far.  As near as I can tell, the first story on it was published in the New York Post on September 26 of this year.  Here’s an excerpt from the news story in the Post: The New York Organ Donor Network pressured hospital staffers to … Continue reading NY Lawsuit Claims Organ Donor Network Engaged in ‘Shameful Practices,’ Pressuring Staff and Families →

Joseph Fins, Expert on Consciousness, Calls for Temperance re: Organ Solicitation and Severe Brain Injury

brain injury, coma, organ donation, Our News & Commentary Blog, vegetative state, , ,

It’s become fairly clear over the past few years that two trends in medicine are in conflict, albeit mostly under the radar.  On one hand, several promising research and clinical developments have given reason to be cautiously optimistic about the recovery potential of at least some people with significant brain damage, and has led to … Continue reading Joseph Fins, Expert on Consciousness, Calls for Temperance re: Organ Solicitation and Severe Brain Injury →

Study: Treatment Withdrawal & Death for Patients with Severe Brain Injury Vary By Hospital

"miracles", brain injury, Canada, coma, medical decisionmaking, organ donation, Our News & Commentary Blog, recovery, research, rush to judgment, thaddeus pope

Once again, an item featured on Thaddeus Pope‘s Medical Futility Blog turned out to be something that I wanted to explore in greater detail than the brief blurb given on his blog, in his September 10th post, Hospitals Vary in How Quickly LST Is Stopped: In “Mortality associated with withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy for patients … Continue reading Study: Treatment Withdrawal & Death for Patients with Severe Brain Injury Vary By Hospital →