Man declared brain-dead wakes up moments before organs were to be harvested

A man in Kentucky, US, declared brain dead, woke up just before his organs were to be harvested.

In Short

• A man, who was declared brain dead, woke up during organ harvesting
• The man was in the hospital after he suffered cardiac arrest
• The case is now under investigation

A man who was brain-dead woke up right before his organs were going to be harvested for donation. Of course, the organ retrieval was cancelled, but it raised alarms over protocols used by US hospitals and organ donation networks to qualify death.

The man who had gone into cardiac arrest was declared brain-dead in a Kentucky hospital. But right when his organs were going to be harvested for donation, he woke up.

A report by National Public Radio (NPR) stated that the patient, Anthony Thomas 'TJ' Hoover II, was rushed to a hospital in Richmond Kentucky after he suffered cardiac arrest. TJ was declared brain-dead and taken off life support, with plans for organ donation in accordance with his wishes.

His sister, Donna Rhorer, stayed by his side. On the way to the operating room, Rhorer and other family members noticed TJ's eyes opening, but staff reassured them that it was a common reflex.

The report suggested that the donor had shown signs of life after a clinical test to evaluate the heart's fitness for transplant purposes.

Fortunately, TJ survived and is now under his sister's care, although he continues to struggle with speech, memory, and movement issues.

The case is now under investigation by state and federal government officials.
In a statement, Baptist Health Richmond said that patient safety is its top priority, while Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA) maintains that the situation has been misrepresented.

Organ preservationist Nyckoletta Martin wrote a letter addressing the US House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee's September hearing about organ procurement and transplantation system.

However, once on the operating table, TJ began to show more pronounced movements and was visibly crying, which startled the medical staff.

"It was very chaotic. Everyone was just very upset," said Natasha Miller, an organ preservationist at the hospital, during an interview with NPR.

KODA clarified in a September statement that if a patient does not experience cardiac arrest within a certain time frame, the family is informed that organ donation cannot proceed, and the patient remains in the hospital's care.

This is what happened in TJ's case.

Determining if a patient could regain consciousness depends on evaluating brain function using specific criteria.

If those criteria are too strict, it could lead to the prolonged use of resources like hospital beds or organs that might benefit others.

However, if they are too lenient, rare cases like TJ's can occur, which may erode public trust in the medical system.

Organ transplantation is a critical issue in the US, with ongoing reforms aiming to improve accountability and transparency in the system.

Along with concerns about potential mistakes, issues such as inequity in organ donation, long wait times, and organ wastage have been raised.

Last year, over 46,000 organ transplants were performed in the US, though this only addresses a fraction of the nearly 1,00,000 patients awaiting transplants.

These transplants would not be possible without the selflessness of donors and the dedication of the medical professionals who work to make donation safe and ethical.

TJ's case remains under investigation.