But the investigation found that the organization’s employees repeatedly pressured families to authorize donation, improperly took over cases from doctors and tried to push hospital staff to remove life support and allow for surgery even if there were indications of growing awareness in patients.
Some employees failed to recognize that hospital sedatives or illegal drugs could mask patients’ neurological condition, meaning they might be in better shape than they seemed.
In December 2022, a 50-year-old overdose victim began stirring less than an hour after being taken off life support and started looking around. The retrieval attempt was not immediately ended, nor was the patient given any explanation.
“The patient had no idea what was going on but was becoming more aware by the minute,” records noted.
After 40 more minutes — when the patient’s organs would no longer qualify for donation — the attempt was called off, and he was moved to an intensive care unit. He later sat up and spoke with his family before dying three days later, the investigation found.
Overall, the investigation flagged 103 cases as having “concerning features” and said problems were more likely to occur at rural hospitals. It noted more than half of transplants arranged by the Kentucky organization were from circulatory-death patients, above the national average.
Nationwide, officials recovered about 20,000 organs from this type of donor last year, nearly double the total in 2021, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, which oversees the transplant system.
Federal regulators told the network last week that the Kentucky organization must increase training for staff and conduct neurological assessments on potential organ donors every 12 hours, among other changes.
On Thursday, the organization said it had received a report about the government investigation. “We will fully comply with all of their suggested recommendations,” it said in a statement.
The federal inquiry began last fall after a congressional committee heard testimony about the Kentucky man, Anthony Thomas Hoover II, who had an overdose in 2021. He was unresponsive for two days before his family agreed to donate his organs.
Over the next two days, the procurement organization moved toward surgery even as his neurological condition improved, the investigation found. During one exam, records show, he was “thrashing on the bed.” He was sedated to prevent further motion.
The hospital staff “was extremely uncomfortable with the amount of reflexes patient is exhibiting,” case notes read. “Hospital staff kept stating that this was euthanasia.” A procurement organization coordinator assured them it was not.
When Mr. Hoover was taken for the retrieval, records show, he cried, pulled his knees to his chest and shook his head. A hospital doctor refused to withdraw life support. Mr. Hoover eventually recovered. Now 36, he has lingering neurological injuries.
In interviews with The Times, two former employees of the procurement organization said higher-ups tried to pressure the doctor to continue the retrieval attempt. “If it had not been for that physician, we absolutely 1,000 percent would have moved forward,” said one of them, Natasha Miller, who was in the room. Three other former Kentucky employees said they had seen similar cases.
The investigation did not say if there was pressure on doctors who treated Mr. Hoover. Network for Hope did not respond to a request for comment on that case.
The Kentucky attorney general’s office also launched an investigation into Mr. Hoover’s case. On Thursday, the office said the review was ongoing.
I gave a kidney 4+ years ago, so I’m a big advocate of organ donation. I follow news about it pretty closely.
This has to be the weirdest and most ghoulish story I’ve ever read regarding the subject.
The headline is a perfect example caused by the indiscriminate use of
“they.”
“I’m not dead yet!”
This kind of chit is why i took ‘donor’ status off my DL.
This is not a Monty Python skit?
Trained in China?
Looks like we are adopting the Chinese social model.
Phooey!
“Well, Excuuuuuse Me!”
Key reason I am not an organ donor. Hospitals won’t have incentive to kill me.
“It says here you’re a liver donor.”
“But I’m still using it!”
Monty Python thought they were being satirical.
BWAHAHAHahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!