Transplants for the disabled

November 30, 2013 5:08 PM

"Maverick was born with a severe heart defect, and even after two surgeries was in heart failure. Doctors had discussed a heart transplant with Maverick's parents, but at the meeting they said he didn't qualify for a new heart because he had a rare genetic defect that put him at a high risk for tumors and infections. A heart transplant would be too risky, they explained."
posted by mr_crash_davis (2 comments total)

As sad as it is for the parents, it seems like doctors from three different hospitals reached the conclusion that Maverick wasn't a good candidate for a transplant. Infant hearts are a limited resource-- giving one to Maverick means not giving one to another infant. There are a lot of factors going into that decision and it is reasonable to take a rare, not well understood and potentially serious genetic disorder into account.
posted by justkevin at 5:45 PM on November 30, 2013

It seems like the real story here is the competence of the original doctors, given that Boston Children's was able to get positive results in as little as three weeks of treatment. The secondary story is the false justifications given for the transplant denial. The actual concept of being selective with transplant recipients seems like the least controversial part of the article.
posted by Behemoth at 5:52 PM on November 30, 2013