Aug 13, 2008 1:20 pm US/Pacific
Baby Heart Transplant Procedure Stirs Controversy
Medical Professionals At Odds Over Patients Declared Brain Dead
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Ethical questions being raised about a new heart transplant procedure. A team of doctors are removing the hearts from dying children to save infants in need, KOVR-TV in Sacramento reports.
Christopher Knowles is alive because another baby died. Last month he got a new beating heart from a donor that was declared brain dead.
"The fact that another baby had passed away, that bothered me tremendously," says Silrita Knowles, Christopher's mother.
But heart transplants for sick children are in short supply, and many are not as fortunate.
"The risk of dying is about one in four," says Dr. Mark Boucek.
Now, a groundbreaking procedure performed by Dr. Mark Boucek could dramatically increase the number of hearts available, but it's causing controversy.
Donated hearts almost always come from children who are brain dead but the heart is still functioning.
It was thought once the heart stops it could not be restarted in another child, but Dr. Boucek proved otherwise by speeding up the process.
"All three of these infants survived and are still surviving,"says Dr. Boucek.
But in an online roundtable – medical ethicists question if Boucek crossed the line by taking the donor hearts so soon.
"Dead donor rule says we take organs, vital organs only from those who have been clearly unequivocally pronounced dead," says Arthur Caplan.
Boucek is going to continue the procedure. Meanwhile, the debate is just beginning on when one life should end to save another.
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