Posted on 06/13/2013 5:23:08 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
The campaign to move a dying 10-year-old onto the waiting list for adult lungs has succeeded: Wednesday afternoon Sarah Murnaghan underwent transplant surgery in Philadelphia and she has a good chance at a longer life.
What may never be known is who may have suffered in her stead. When one person moves up an organ transplant waiting list, another person may move down
If all goes well, the young cystic fibrosis patient will get a fresh start on childhood, able to spend time with friends, play sports and do other normal kid things, Samuel Goldfarb, her doctor at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said during a court hearing last week.
But as everyone hopes for the best for Sarah and her family, the match comes after a media campaign, a lawsuit and a federal court order, not to mention pressure from lawmakers on HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to personally intervene on behalf of a single child. It has experts from the transplant community worried about a precedent with the potential to open up the system to tampering from the outside. And that could begin chipping away at the careful framework set up to fairly distribute donated organs, the most precious — and scarce — resources in the health care system.
“If the distribution of organs becomes subject to the success of individual publicity campaigns, with organs going to those who hire the best PR firms and lawyers, who on the waiting list would remain confident that their priority would be decided on the merits?” Daniel Wikler, a medical ethics expert at Harvard, said in an email.
“And who would agree to donate organs to a system supposedly based on rational, humane, and fair selection criteria but that would actually be determined by the assets of the highest bidder?”
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
For cystic fibrosis patients, the donated lungs don't contain the defective gene that caused their own lungs to clog — so they won't fill with mucus again.
http://www.today.com/health/new-lungs-buy-time-dont-cure-cystic-fibrosis-6C10315364
I never said I was a Dr.
Still, someone got bumped and may die.
Perhaps some 10 year old girls Mommy.
Well you better stay away from anyone with a genetic disorder or you may catch it and need a transplant too!!!!
Stay away from anyone with Cancer as well cause that disease is just horribly contagious, so is Down’s syndrome too!!!
“Still, someone got bumped and may die.
Perhaps some 10 year old girls Mommy”
She was the one being bumped, so that other person was trying to take her lungs. Ever think about that?
Sebelius is a mean person. The family had been trying to get the little girl on the list for 18 months to where the government would update the policy. Sebelius was just practicing her death panels control/ of how we will be treated (mistreated).
The policy is outdated. Science now can help these little kids to have a normal life. She will have bacterial medications to take though should be okay. These children should had been on the adult list 5 years ago. Can you image all of the ones who never got a chance. I am happy that court got involved so now brings more attention to that outdated policy to where science is. The doctors made the decision for her. Now, the government has to update that policy to help others to just have a chance. Patients in the worse conditions move up on the list. She was about to die with her disease. Those lungs were her blood type-to me, that’s a miracle right there. I hope the policy does change so that little boy with CF, who was ordered by the judge to be put on the adult list, gets to stay on the adult list.. so he has a chance in his future. It’s heartbreaking all around. One life leaves and another has a chance.
Not only did someone get bumped, but cystic fibrosis will attack the new lung.
For cystic fibrosis patients, the donated lungs don’t contain the defective gene that caused their own lungs to clog — so they won’t fill with mucus again.
http://www.today.com/health/new-lungs-buy-time-dont-cure-cystic-fibrosis-6C10315364
I was trying to explain that to “mylife” buy he didn’t seem to take a initial clue.
My point is that this stuff is not a simple matter of supply and demand.
If you are a 60-year-old billionaire with a bad heart, you can be transplanted with a 20-year-old heart without being on any waiting list. And if they don’t have a donor that matches your blood type, you can just jump on your private jet and go to China. They’ll just arrest and kill your donor tomorrow.
You make the God decisions, because I am not qualified.
“My point is that this stuff is not a simple matter of supply and demand.”
Then why get on a dying little girl’s case? You make it sound as if she stole the lungs.
[ You make the God decisions, because I am not qualified. ]
You were making an irrational emotional argument, I was being you know, scientific. Also maybe a little bit of basic research would be in order to enlighten you before making stupid statements alluding to giving her a lung transplant is futile because she develop CF all over again, which is painfully false.
Also you allude to the fact that someone may lose parent over this, how do you know, are you omniscient? if so you should tell everyone here about all of Obama’s secrets because they will not leak themselves.
I am not on her “case”.
I am only pointing out that someone who was next in line got bumped because of politics or cute factor or what ever.
If there are not enough organs to go around, there is a shortage.
It is complex.
I hope she lives a long fruitful life.
I just hope someone else who was waiting for that lung did not die because of popular opinion.
Amen to your comments.
Thank you for the information for the group.
The determining factor is having a Tissue Match that will be close enough to insure long term survival. They don’t just get a lung and say here, you’re popular right now so this is for you.
The issue was excluding Children because of some “rule” that the Doctors think is outmoded. Opening up the Adult Lung Transplant waiting list to Children only adds about 20 Patients to the current 1500 Patients waiting for Lungs.
It isn’t a Lottery, many other things are considered to make sure the Transplant is as successful as possible.
Sorry GraceG. I didn’t realize that you were quoting another post.
-> only pointing out that someone who was next in line got bumped because of politics or cute factor or what ever.
She moved up because she was about to die. Do you realize the ratio that the donor lung was right for this child. If the government updates that policy, many names will be added to that list. When the next patient is the worse, they move up. When Obamacare starts, the government medical panels (not your personal doctor) will look at all cases (fairly ha) and determine who basically lives or dies. The individual care part is now gone now, you are just a number of liabilities. Smoker, you gone. Cancer patient, gone. No chance to continue to seek medical help. Obamacare. I don’t understand why people have to get angry about the little girl. When the death panels begin, going to be a lot of anger.
Did the Dr’s change the rule?
Because it sure seems to have been changed based on popular opinion.
If in fact the Dr’s think it was the best decision I say go for it.
If it was politically driven or driven by popular opinion I say beware of making decisions that way.
I have not followed this closely.
I only want to know that every effort was made to save all who where awaiting lungs.
Did she "move up" on the list or was she simply allowed to be on the list?
To me, when the Docs say, ya, we can use an adult lung on a kid, I see no reason to limit that kid to a pediatric list just because some bureaucrat says so.
Apparently the transplant was a success and her prognosis is good. God bless her.
Can someone with knowledge of Cystic Fibrosis answer a question?
My understanding is that those with CF typically don't live beyond their early to mid 20's. Is that correct?
Would the lung transplant extend this young girl's life beyond early to mid 20's?
Having worked for 20 years at the hospital that performed the very first successful organ transplant and has,ever since,been a trailblazer in organ transplantation I know something about the subject.In short,there are more medical and logistical issues connected to transplants than a layman can possibly imagine.Add to that the concept of “triage” which,sadly,is essential because of the relative unavailability of available organs vs demand.So while it may be satisfying to know that this girl got a lung having judges (or politicians) interfere with a complicated issue that,lacking medical knowledge,they can’t begin to understand is very probably very unwise indeed.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.