Soldier dies after receiving 50 cigarettes per day smoker's lungs with tumor in transplant

[Liberal_in_LA]

Soldier dies after receiving smoker's lungs in transplant Story Highlights
Iraq veteran Matthew Millington died after transplant using cancerous lungs

Leading UK hospital defends practice of using organs donated by smokers

Inquest found a radiographer failed to find cancerous tumor on donor lungs

By Stephanie Busari
CNN

LONDON, England (CNN) -- A leading UK hospital has defended its practice of using organs donated by smokers after the death of a soldier who received the cancerous lungs of a heavy smoker.

Corporal Matthew Millington, 31, died at his home in 2008, less than a year after receiving a transplant that was supposed to save his life at Papworth Hospital -- the UK's largest specialist cardiothoracic hospital, in Cambridgeshire, east England.

Papworth Hospital released a statement saying using donor lungs from smokers was not "unusual."

The statement added that the hospital had no option but to use lungs from smokers as "the number of lung transplants carried out would have been significantly lower," if they didn't.

Should hospitals use smokers' lungs in transplants?

An inquest held last week heard that Millington, who served in the Queen's Royal Lancers, was serving in Iraq in 2005 when he was diagnosed with an incurable condition that left him unable to breathe.

He was told he required a transplant and in April 2007 received a double lung transplant at Papworth Hospital.

Less than a year later, doctors discovered a tumor in the new lungs. Despite radiotherapy, Millington died on February 8, 2008, at his family home near Stoke-on-Trent, in Staffordshire.


http://edition.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/10/12/soldier.lung.cancer.transplant/

[no_hypocrisy]

1. WTF

[babylonsister]

2. This is indefensible, despite what the hospital says. nt

[ThomCat]

14. Agreed.

:cry:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. That is horrible.

And indefensible.

They must ramp up their screening methods, now.

I am sickened to hear this.

I wonder how prevalent this sort of practice is.

[Chemisse]

4. That is very sad.

But I bet he was very thankful for the lungs - smoker or not - at the time of the transplant.

With the scarcity of organs, there must be plenty of people who would gamble on a smoker's lungs rather than face certain death.

[crim son]

6. I agree that plenty of people would take smokers' lungs if offered,

but there needs to be informed consent, obviously.

[Brooklyns_Finest]

5. Angry

I hope that everyone who is angry about this story and are not smokers will go a head and sign themselves up as potential organ donors.

[JoeyT]

19. I hope so too

I also hope all the smokers will check every box but lungs for donation.
That's what I did (long ago) and I guess they still let you check the organ boxes.

Heck, if you think about it, smokers kill themselves so much faster that we'd be ideal for all the other organs. Less wear. ;)

[Gold Metal Flake]

7. None of my swear words pack enough punch to express my disgust.

[imdjh]

8. What are the restrictions on liver donors?

Can they have been drinkers? If so, how much? If stopped, when?

Just curious.

[Obamanaut]

11. When my sister died recently, I was the closest relative available

and went through about an hour question/answer session with the transplant representative at the hospital. It was too late to donate organs, but there were still a brazillion questions just to be a tissue donor.

The questions included alcohol use, tobacco use, history of cancer, and so on.

[Justitia]

15. As the mother of a recent transplant recipient, I just want to thank you.

I know you said it was too late for the major organs, but considering the donation at all, donating tissue and going thru the interview at a time of grieving is an incredibly generous act.

My son rec'd a kidney transplant 6 wks ago, and the donor family is on my mind all the time.
I could never thank them sufficiently for saving my son's life - they turned the world around completely for our whole family.
Thinking of their gift brings me to tears every time.
I just wanted to let a donor's family know that.

And I want to thank you so very much for doing what you did, especially at such a difficult time for your own family.
It really does make worlds of difference for so very many people.

[Obamanaut]

17. Your sweet words made my eye have a speck. Thank you for

that. Please take my sincere wish that all goes well with your son.

[Obamanaut]

9. This is certainly not a great selling point for going to Great Britain

for health care.

[Kalyke]

10. Giving him pre-cancerous lungs is unforgiveable.

However, a smoker's lungs with no cancer will repair themselves within five years if the recipient does not smoke.

There are ways to check for pre-cancerous cells.

[diane in sf]

12. The problem is that the drugs that stop organ rejection keep the immune system from

recognizing and destroying cancers--a real Catch-22.

[notadmblnd]

13. Do they replace their bad car parts with other bad car parts too?

[chatnoir]

16. OMG, how can they possibly have a policy of using smoker's lungs??

Surely that rules you out right away in the US as to donating lungs, no?

Googled and found this piece on the poor man in the Mail (I know, I know):

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1219542/Soldier-dies-canerous-lung-transplant-smoker.html

[KamaAina]

18. a 31-year-old Iraq vet with an incurable respiratory illness?

Gulf War Syndrome, perhaps?