Hospital won't recommend a heart transplant because patient is autistic

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/after-adult-autistic-son-denied-heart-transplant-pennsylvania-woman-seeks-to-reverse-decision/2012/08/17/db4778aa-e834-11e1-9739-eef99c5fb285_story.html

A Pennsylvania woman whose autistic adult son was not recommended for a heart transplant is using an online petition to gather support in a bid to convince a hospital to reconsider.

Karen Corby says doctors at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania decided that her 23-year-old son, Paul, would not be recommended for a heart transplant because of psychiatric issues, his autism and the complexity of the process.

Discuss - do you think this is wrong or right? Sounds a bit cold-hearted to me.

cold, I'd still prefer somebody with a functioning mind living.

cold, I'd still prefer somebody with a functioning mind living.

TopTierHustler

Kids who are more likely to lead normal productive lives in should be the first for heart transplants. If there were an abundance of available hearts then it would seem unfair, but due to the fact that hearts are not just falling off trees, it is a decision that requires careful judgment. I believe the doctors are making the right call on this one.

[QUOTE="TopTierHustler"]

cold, I'd still prefer somebody with a functioning mind living.

slipknot0129

This just makes me angry. I'd give him my heart if I could.

[QUOTE="TopTierHustler"]

cold, I'd still prefer somebody with a functioning mind living.

cold, I'd still prefer somebody with a functioning mind living.

TopTierHustler

He's mild to moderately autistic, not a vegetable you assh*le.

It's horrible, but it's the only way to fairly deal with the very limited supply of organs; Corby isn't being turned down because he's autistic, he's being turned down because there's someone else with a better post-transplant prognosis who needs the heart as much as he does.

Sign your donor cards, people.

An 18 year old with no such conditions should get the heart if it matches both of these people's body specifics.

CreasianDevaili

Why is that, though?

sounds fair to me,a mother is not the best person to judge a decision which should be taken with the least emotions involved.

[QUOTE="CreasianDevaili"]An 18 year old with no such conditions should get the heart if it matches both of these people's body specifics.

Why is that, though?

Yeah, decisions like this certainly do seem "cold," but someone needs to make them.

There are only so many hearts to go around. If this guy lives, someone else will die.

sounds fair to me,a mother is not the best person to judge a decision which should be taken with the least emotions involved.

VaguelyTagged

Is there a guarantee that the "normal person" will use the heart more productively? Very callous...

I'm happy that we are getting exceptionally well at growing organs. It shouldn't be long until we can grow hearts in labratorys with a person's stem cell. Then, stuff like this won't happen.

Why is that, though?

IdioticIcarus

From one of the doctor's quoted in the article:

You need to be able to complain if you get certain symptoms, he said of a transplant patient, adding that a heart transplant isnt a simple cure, but rather a case of trading a terminal disease for a chronic one that needs long-term monitoring and medication.

There's no happy ending here: if Corby gets the heart, that means someone else dies. Even if Corby's autism only poses a slight risk in terms of his ability to communicate any symptoms, that's just not a risk you can take when there are other candidates with better post-transplant prognoses.

Is there a guarantee that the "normal person" will use the heart more productively? Very callous... Omni-Wrath

Decisions like this are extremely difficult, and I don't envy those who have to make them.

cold, I'd still prefer somebody with a functioning mind living.

TopTierHustler

indded it may sound cold but is better if a person with a normal mind that can make use of it gets it

Dear yourself,

You have bookmarked this page because since you have aspergers this page proves that you will not receive a heart transplant, if you need a heart transplant please present this page to your family so that you can die with dignity.

Dear yourself,

You have bookmarked this page because since you have aspergers this page proves that you will not receive a heart transplant, if you need a heart transplant please present this page to your family so that you can die with dignity.

on average they have shorter lifespans.

as cold as it is to say what you are looking for here is how much bang you get for the buck and in those terms it is a bad deal.

http://www.lifeexpectancy.org/articles/a2.pdf

[QUOTE="TopTierHustler"]

cold, I'd still prefer somebody with a functioning mind living.

slipknot0129

Agreed

[QUOTE="TopTierHustler"]

cold, I'd still prefer somebody with a functioning mind living.

Guybrush_3

He's mild to moderately autistic, not a vegetable you assh*le.

TopTierTroll strikes again!

Organ donation should be mandatory, or at the very least an opt-out program instead of being opt-in. -Sun_Tzu-

If you feel outraged, then sign up to be an organ donor. If the supply of organs goes up, then they won't have to ration them.

Sounds like they took into account all the facts, recognized the reality of the situation, and arrived at a perfectly rational decision. Where's the controversy?

[QUOTE="-Sun_Tzu-"]Organ donation should be mandatory, or at the very least an opt-out program instead of being opt-in. LJS9502_basic

Sign your donor cards, peopleSlow_Show

Doesn't surprise me. Most people are ignorant when it comes to disabilities.SolidSnake35

That's an odd thing to say. By "most people", are you including the doctors who made this decision?

[QUOTE="TopTierHustler"]

cold, I'd still prefer somebody with a functioning mind living.

Krelian-co

indded it may sound cold but is better if a person with a normal mind that can make use of it gets it

[QUOTE="SolidSnake35"]Doesn't surprise me. Most people are ignorant when it comes to disabilities.Oleg_Huzwog

That's an odd thing to say. By "most people", are you including the doctors who made this decision?

[QUOTE="Oleg_Huzwog"]

[QUOTE="SolidSnake35"]Doesn't surprise me. Most people are ignorant when it comes to disabilities.SolidSnake35

That's an odd thing to say. By "most people", are you including the doctors who made this decision?

You realize that they don't have an infinite amount of hearts right? They have to make decisions like this.

I know someone, VERY close to me, who is also diagnosed with PDD-NOS (one of several Autism Specturm Disorders).

To suggest they are not as "functioning" as a "normal" person is ignorant in both a derogatory way and technical way.

Most high-functioning Autistic people are as intelligent or MORE intelligent than "normal" people, just based on their hyper-focused tendencies.

People who are comparing this kid to a "vegetable" need to be educated about Autism. Autism is not just someone sitting in a corner staring at a wall all day long. Autism Spectrum Disorder is a WIDE-RANGE spectrum. Yes, some people with ASD need to be institutionalized. And yes, some people with ASD are Classical Music Composers or Artists with Master's Degrees and have some special talents which many "normal" people will never have.

Both Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton, for example, have been suspected of being a high-functioning Autistics, based on tendencies and behavioral issues they displayed at times - but because Autism wasn't really even a known disorder back then, and because they were super-brilliant, nobody ever considered it until recent years.

To give someone with high-functioning Autism a pass on a heart transplant, when they could live, work, contribute to society and be honest, good people, is just ignorant and disgusting on every level.

I'll leave it at that before I get banned for taking this way too personally.

Bottom Line - don't make a disgusting comment unless you know what your are talking about.

[QUOTE="SolidSnake35"][QUOTE="Oleg_Huzwog"]

That's an odd thing to say. By "most people", are you including the doctors who made this decision?

JML897

You realize that they don't have an infinite amount of hearts right? They have to make decisions like this.

[QUOTE="Oleg_Huzwog"]

[QUOTE="SolidSnake35"]Doesn't surprise me. Most people are ignorant when it comes to disabilities.SolidSnake35

That's an odd thing to say. By "most people", are you including the doctors who made this decision?

The doctor never said his life is worthless. The doctor said "I have recommended against transplant given his psychiatric issues, autism, the complexity of the process, multiple procedures and the unknown and unpredictable effect of steroids on behavior".

What do you mean who are they to decide? What kind of bizarre question is that? If a panel of medical doctors aren't the most qualified to make decisions related to medical procedures, than who?

[QUOTE="SolidSnake35"][QUOTE="Oleg_Huzwog"]

That's an odd thing to say. By "most people", are you including the doctors who made this decision?

Oleg_Huzwog

The doctor never said his life is worthless. The doctor said "I have recommended against transplant given his psychiatric issues, autism, the complexity of the process, multiple procedures and the unknown and unpredictable effect of steroids on behavior".

What do you mean who are they to decide? What kind of bizarre question is that? If a panel of medical doctors aren't the most qualified to make decisions related to medical procedures, than who?

Clueless moralists, clueless moralists everywhere.

Doesn't surprise me. Most people are ignorant when it comes to disabilities.SolidSnake35

Yes, I'm quite sure you know about this guy's disabilities better than the doctor who made the call.

Clueless moralists, clueless moralists everywhere.

N30F3N1X

[QUOTE="SolidSnake35"]Doesn't surprise me. Most people are ignorant when it comes to disabilities.N30F3N1X

Yes, I'm quite sure you know about this guy's disabilities better than the doctor who made the call.

[QUOTE="SolidSnake35"]Doesn't surprise me. Most people are ignorant when it comes to disabilities.N30F3N1X

Yes, I'm quite sure you know about this guy's disabilities better than the doctor who made the call.

I'm quite sure you don't know anything about the doctor's motives either.

More likely, the doctor and/or his affliliated hospital is afraid of a malpractice suit or even bad PR if he screws up and doesn't want to take the chance with going through with a transplant for an Autistic person, as opposed to a Neuro-typical person.

I honestly think there is more PR behind this decison than actual consideration for the wealthfare of a patient.

[QUOTE="N30F3N1X"]

[QUOTE="SolidSnake35"]Doesn't surprise me. Most people are ignorant when it comes to disabilities.SolidSnake35

Yes, I'm quite sure you know about this guy's disabilities better than the doctor who made the call.

And that is relevant with what I just said, how?

I'm quite sure you don't know anything about the doctor's motives either.

More likely, the doctor and/or his affliliated hospital is afraid of a malpractice suit or even bad PR if he screws up and doesn't want to take the chance with going through with a transplant for an Autistic person, as opposed to a Neuro-typical person.

I honestly think there is more PR behind this decison than actual consideration for the wealthfare of a patient.

Netherscourge

Yay, more conjecture and finger pointing from somebody who has nothing to do with what's happened and has no clue of what's going on outside of the article's report. How totally original and mindblowingly creative.