“He’s dead, Jim” — or not?

There continues to be debate as to when a person is “dead enough” to permit harvesting of organs.

In the past, organs were removed only after doctors determine that the donor’s brain has ceased to function.

Recently, three infants were on life support and their organs harvested while they still had a little brain function.  The children’s family consented to the procedure and doctors in Denver removed their hearts for transplant purposes.  The babies who received the hearts are doing well.

Using cardiac death rather than brain death as the triggering event for organ harvesting is being encouraged by the federal government as well as organ banks so that more organs are available for transplant.  However, critics point out that using cardiac death may violate organ donation laws.

For more information, see Stephanie Nano, Doctors debate when to declare organ donors dead, WTOPNews.com, August 13, 2008.