Virtual Mentor. February 2000, Volume 2, Number 2.

Ethics Poll

Canadian Age Limits for Organ Transplant Recipients

The Ethics Poll is a snapshot of the opinions of interested readers.

Recently, a 79-year-old Canadian man with a "broken heart" received a cardiac transplant from a 55-year-old donor. The recipient was 14 years older than what was normally considered to be the maximum age for a transplant candidate. He was also a well-connected public official and friend of an Edmonton heart specialist. Before his need for a new heart, the recipient was extremely active, swimming 50 laps a day. Although Canada has an age limit for organ recipients, the United States has no such requirement. Was it ethically permissible for this recipient to have gotten a new heart?
Yes, because the Canadian policy is age discriminatory.
Yes, because the recipient was extremely healthy otherwise.
No, because younger recipients could have benefited more from using the donor's heart.
No, because his receiving a heart raises public concerns about the integrity of the organ procurement system.

Poll Results

Was it ethically permissible for this recipient to have gotten a new heart?
144 votes recorded

Yes, because the Canadian policy is age discriminatory
5 votes - 3%

Yes, because the recipient was extremely healthy otherwise
37 votes - 25%

No, because younger recipients could have benefited more from using the donor's heart
5 votes - 3%

No, because his receiving a heart raises public concerns about the integrity of the organ procurement system
97 votes - 67%

Related Articles

  • Bosch B. Spain leads world in organ donation and transplantation.JAMA. 1999;282:17. Accessed January 25, 2000.
  • UNOS News Bureau. UNOS Statement on HR 1180 [news release]. Richmond, Va: UNOS; December 17, 1999. Available at: UNOS Web site. Accessed January 25, 2000.
  • UNOS News Bureau. UNOS study in New England Journal of Medicine details factors affecting liver transplant outcomes [news release]. Richmond, Va: UNOS; December 23, 1999. Available at: UNOS Web site. Accessed January 25, 2000.
  • Winkel E, Kao W, Fisher SG, Heroux AL, Johnson MR, Costanzo MR. Outpatient inotropic therapy in heart transplant candidates: should its use influence waiting list priority status? J Heart Lung Transplant. 1998;17:809-816.
  • Facts About Heart and Heart-Lung Transplants. US Dept of Health and Human Services, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; August 1997. NIH publication 97-2990. Available at: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Web site. Accessed January 25, 2000.
  • Schweiger J. Bridging the gap to heart transplants. November 22, 1998. Available at: HealthLINK Web site. Accessed January 25, 2000.
  • Kormos B. Success, life expectancy, and preservation of heart transplants. 1995. Available at: TransWeb Web site. Accessed January 25, 2000.
  • Hopkins study details cost-effectiveness of heart transplants [news release]. Baltimore, Md: Johns Hopkins University; November 11, 1994. Available at: Johns Hopkins Web site. Accessed January 25, 2000.
Poll results reflect the opinions of visitors to the site who voluntarily answer the poll questions. Those visitors do not represent a random sample of Virtual Mentor readers. The viewpoints expressed on this site are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the AMA.