Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston has declined to do a heart transplant of D.J. Ferguson because he was not vaccinated. The patient was a father of two children. The hospital in its defense said that to improve the chances of survival of the patients, the protocols of the transparent programs around the country are not giving transplants to non-vaccinated patients. This heartbreaking incident came into the news amid the online fundraising appeal where the family raised tens of thousands of dollars. The family said that it was a time-sensitive issue for them.
Non-Vaccinated Patient Got Denied Of Heart Transplant
According to the online fundraiser, the patient was admitted for a heart ailment that caused his lungs to fill with blood and fluid. He was hospitalized in late November. Afterward, he was transferred to Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where doctors controlled the situation by inserting an emergency heart pump into his body. Although this was just a temporary solution for this dangerous problem.
D.J.’s mother, Tracey Ferguson said that his son doesn’t have any problems with vaccinations. D.J. Ferguson is not taking the vaccinations because he has faced several immunizations in the past. The family said that every person should get the right to choose whether they should take a vaccination or not. Although the nurse said that the patient has been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. This condition causes an irregular and often rapid heart rhythm which leads to poor blood flow in the body.
Tracey Ferguson in an interview said that his son is an informed patient. D.J. Ferguson wants to be assured that his condition won’t get worse with the COVID-19 vaccine. She said that it was devastating to see her son go through something terrible like this. Due to the patient privacy laws, Brigham and Women’s Hospital is not committing to the D.J. Ferguson case. Although the hospital pointed out a response that they have posted on their website. The response says that the U.S. transplant programs have requested several immunizations including the COVID-19 vaccine, a flu shot, and hepatitis B vaccines.
The hospital suggested a study that pointed out that transplant recipients have more risk of dying from COVID-19 than non-transplant recipients. The hospital also said that they are following the recommendations of the American Society of Transplantation and other health organizations. Brigham and Women’s Hospital also said that no patient is allowed to place an organ on the wishlist without meeting those criteria.
The hospital also emphasized that there has been a shortage of available organs and more than 100,000 candidates on the waitlist are waiting for organ transplantation. Since there is a scarcity of organs, hospitals are only considering the patients that have high chances of living with the new organ. In other states as well many hospitals are heavily criticized for their rejection of organ transplants to non-vaccinated patients.
Dr. Howard Eisen who is the medical director for the advanced heart failure program at Penn State University said that the heart is a precious gift and should be used properly. The United Network for Organ Sharing said that they don’t count how many non-vaccinated patients are denied transplants. The organization also suggested that the patients have the right to go somewhere else for the proper treatment. Although individual hospitals have the authority to put up the patient’s name on the national waitlist.
Both the patients and hospitals have their own reasons and justifications for this case. The family is questioning both the hospital and transplant protocols. While the hospital is suggesting that the protocols are set after doing a lot of research and they help them to select the right patient for the transplant.
