Young Adult with Autism Denied Heart Transplant

An article was published back in August about a 23 year-old male with autism being denied a heart transplant.  People get denied organ transplants all the time due to various medical reasons, but this one was based in part on the fact the young man had autism.  According to the article (link to the article is attached below), Paul Corby was born with a damaged left ventricle and therefore his heart does not pump the correct amount of blood.  According to a letter from the hospital, Penn Medicine, “given his psychiatric issues, autism, the complexity of the process, multiple procedures, and the unknown and unpredictable effect of steroids on behavior”, Paul was denied the transplant. 

The reasons given, in my opinion, are rather weak and borderline discriminates based on mental health disability.  These same reasons provided by the hospital for denying Paul the transplant could be applied to any patient for any surgery that is needed.  Granted, a heart transplant is a complex process requiring multiple procedures, but with the medical aftercare provided and family support recovery is no different for someone with autism as it is for any other patient.  Paul will be receiving around the clock medical care, and his mother will be right by his side throughout the surgery and recovery.  In regards to the unknown and unpredictable effect of steroids, there is no predictable reaction, medical or behavioral, that any of us may have after receiving steroids, and having autism does not increase the risk versus another patient receiving steroids after a transplant who does not have autism. 

Though, this does not rise to the level of a transplant, my son was 4 or 5 years-old when he broke his arm while playing on the monkey bars in our backyard.  While at the emergency room they had to sedate Zach with Ketamine to set his arm and then place a cast on it that went from his hand to the top of his bicep.  We thought for sure Zach would be whining and freaking out over the cast, but he really did not complain that much.  A week later we went to the doctor’s for a follow-up exam, and we were told that the cast was not helping the healing process and he would need to have surgery.  We all know that in order to have surgery you need to be sedated, provided pain medication and oxygen, and there is usually a monitor attached to your body to monitor your heart.  When Zach came out of surgery he had a splint with an ace bandage wrapped around it stretching again from his hand to the top of his bicep.  Zach was very low functioning at the time, and for 3 or 4 weeks he walked around with the bandage and did not try to remove it or complain. 

There is no reason why Paul Corby’s chances of recovery should be viewed as any different because he has autism.  Unfortunately, without the transplant Paul Corby may not make it past the age of 23.  His mother has started a petition on change.org to rally support for a transplant and I encourage you all who wish to help to go to change.org.  My thoughts and prayers are with you Paul Corby.

 

Here are the links to the article:  http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2012/08/autistic_boy_is_denied_a_heart.html

 

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/autistic-man-denied-heart-transplant-upenn-hospital/story?id=17006152