Transplant surgeon, allegedly seeking organs, is charged with trying to hasten patient's death

[babylonsister]

Transplant surgeon, allegedly seeking organs, is charged with trying to hasten patient's death
A transplant surgeon is accused of attempting to hasten a patient's demise in order to make use of his organs.
By Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber, Times Staff Writers
July 31, 2007


A San Francisco transplant surgeon was criminally charged Monday with excessively prescribing drugs to a 25-year-old disabled man last year in order to hasten his death and harvest his organs sooner.

The felony charges are believed to be the first in the nation against a physician for his role in a transplant.

Experts said the case is likely to raise uneasiness among potential organ donors and could prompt doctors to shy away from a somewhat controversial practice of retrieving organs before a patient is brain dead.

The San Luis Obispo County district attorney's office accused Dr. Hootan Roozrokh, 33, of dependent adult abuse, administering a harmful substance and prescribing controlled substances without a legitimate medical purpose.

The surgeon allegedly ordered massive amounts of narcotic painkillers and sedatives for Ruben Navarro, a physically and mentally disabled man, on Feb. 3, 2006. In addition, Roozrokh is accused of administering the antiseptic Betadine through a feeding tube into Navarro's stomach, a sterilization procedure typically done after a donor is dead.

more...

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-me-transplant31jul31,1,297031.story?coll=la-headlines-frontpage&ctrack=1&cset=true

[The Backlash Cometh]

1. Holy Shit! Betadine administered through feeding tube to the guy's

stomach before he's dead! I don't know what jury will acquit that s.o.b. once you hear that.

[babylonsister]

3. That got to me, too; seems the surgeon's intent was clear. nt

[LisaL]

6. Hmm.

"Brown said it would have been difficult to pursue a more serious charge of murder or attempted murder because Navarro survived for hours after being given the drugs."

I am not at all saying the Dr. should be charged with murder or attempted murder, but I find that explanation a bit curious, considering if you shoot or use a knife on someone and that person dies several hours later, nobody is going to say-well, you didn't kill anyone cause your victim lasted for hours afterwords.
And of course with some poisons victims can last a long time after being given poison. Using the logic that the victim has to die immediately, a lot of people would not be charged with murder.
Maybe this is different because supposedly the guy was dying anyway.
But to say that the man lasted several hours after being given drugs and that's why Dr. can not be charged with murder or attempted murder doesn't make much sense to me.

[LoZoccolo]

2. And there were people here calling others "assholes" for not donating organs.

This as well as saying that we should be forced to donate them by default, and you have to opt out if you don't want that to happen.

[LisaL]

4. You gotta believe this is going to raise uneasiness.

That's why I am completely opposed to suggestions that it should be assumed people are willing to donate their organs, rather than having to get permission.

[Sweet Freedom]

5. How horrible.

But this certainly doesn't change my opinion about the importance of being an organ donor.

[LisaL]

8. It's great if somebody wants to donate. More power to them.

But it's my body and my organs, and I should not be forced to donate anything unless I want to and specifically indicate so.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

9. And I don't want to donate them until I'm actually finished with them.

[Sweet Freedom]

10. I wasn't asking you to.

But just because one doctor is a nut job, it doesn't change the importance of organ donation awareness and that people are dying waiting for a transplant. So it would be sad if people who are open to organ donation would change their mind based on this story.

From www.lifegift.org:

--More than 82,000 men, women and children in the United States are currently waiting for an organ transplant.
--Approximately 25,000 organ transplants are performed every year in the U.S.
--Every 14 minutes, on average, a new person is added to the organ transplant waiting list.
--An average of 17 people per day, or more than 6,000 patients per year, will die waiting for a transplant.

[babylonsister]

11. Nor mine. If there's anything left after I'm done with them that could

benefit someone, have at it! I won't be needing them. ;-)

[lonestarnot]

7. Me no donate nutt'n!