The line between life and death has grown increasingly obscure in the United States, the world's most active organ-transplant community, as surgeons grapple with a delicate problem: Organs available for transplant may become less viable if pronouncement of a donor's death is delayed until death is beyond dispute.
In the Philadelphia area earlier this year, a 57-year-old man suffered severe head injuries in a motorcycle accident. He was rushed to a hospital, where doctors soon determined that he had no hope of meaningful recovery, although he did not meet the criteria for brain death.
Told of the diagnosis, the man's family decided to authorize withdrawal of life support. Doctors then gave them the option of donating his organs after his heart stopped beating. The family agreed. The man suffered cardiac arrest after the respirator was turned off, and surgeons waited just five minutes before removing his kidneys.