Question

You work on a unit that focuses on pre liver transplants. The patients on your unit are either being evaluated for the organ transplant list or have been on the list for months or even years and are in the last stages of this disease. Patients in the latter category are in frequent need of blood transfusions and platelets. They would often become very ill and some would die before receiving a new liver. Liver failure is not per se caused like, say, cancer. Often there is a culpability component attached to it. For example, hepatitis is a major cause of liver failure and hepatitis can result from heavy drinking and drug use. One evening you are scheduled to work, you are assigned to a 35 year old patient named Paul. He is being evaluated for a liver transplant. His liver failure was related to hepatitis due to heavy drinking. It was also stated on his kardex that he is a prison inmate. He was assigned 3 guards at all times, 2 in the room, and one at the door. After looking at public record, it turns out he is facing life in prison because he was found guilty of murdering his girlfriend. The cost of the evaluation and liver surgery is generally around $120,000.00. In addition to the cost of surgery, a patient that receives an organ will be on lifelong antirejection medications that are costly also. It turns out that Paul is a match for a liver that has just come in, but another patient is also a match. This other patient is a 67-year-old retired nurse named Nancy. She has no criminal past or history of health problems. She was being evaluated at the same time as Paul for a liver transplant. So both she and Paul were evaluated and found to be a match the same time. Of course, given the law and medical polices, it is not up to you to make the decision which patient gets the liver. With that said, use the resolvedd method to decide who you think should receive the liver based only on the ethical principles we discussed in class. Step (1) In 35 words or more, describe at least two possible solutions to the ethical case study. Step (2) In 50 words or more, describe the consequences and outcomes that would result from the solutions you selected. Step (3) In 75 words or more identify the ethical principles/values that affirm or violate each of the solutions you selected and explain how they affirm or violate your solutions Step (4) In 75 words or more select and justify one of the solutions you think is the best solution to the question posed in the case study.

Answer 1

ANSWER

1. Selecting a person to transplant.

According to ethics of transplantation we have to check all this emergency, utility and justice to transplant a liver for a patient.

Emergency:-We can see here treatment or both Paul and nurse really emergency.

Utility:-We don't have any benefit of transplanting a liver for Paul because he however he cannot serve any of the country people but that nurse can serve and treat patients. According to this we prefer transplantation to the nurse.

Justice:-If we check this according to the justice patient is a murderer and the nurse is server of the country. According to this rule also nurse is only suitable person for tansplantation.

So I prefer liver transplantation should be done to nurse.

2. Consequences for suggested solution:-

Paul may have chances for death and this makes him to feel for his mistakes but however he have to wait for another chance. Nurse and their whole family will be happy for her transplantation and if they get to know her good behaviour and serving nature saved her from death changes may occur in their bad behaviour.

Outcomes:-

Nurse who served many others were saved due to her kindly nature but Paul criminal will wait for new liver to be transplanted.

3. Ethical principles:-

Emergency:-In this way both treatments are emergency. So we have to treat everyone. But there is only one liver for transplantion.

Utility:-we may have some benefits with nurse but we don't have any benefits with that criminal. This point strongly affirms my statement"I prefer liver transplantation should be done to nurse".

Justice:-The nurse is 67 years old but Paul is 35 years old. This point violates my solution. But however nurse is a server and Paul is murderer This point makes my decision liitle more stronger.

By checking all this only I preferred liver transplantation should be done to nurse.

4. The one and only best solution for this is transplanting a liver for a nurse. This decision made by reading all ethics like Emergency, Utility and Justice.We fing treatment is necessary for both Paul and nurse and that is emergency for them. We are benefited more if we treat nurse more than treating a criminal. This is utility and traeting a server more than a murderer is justice. So I strongly believe that suggested solution best solution.