Dying Black Teen Denied Heart Transplant Due Partly to Low Grades and Trouble With the Law

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49. I haven't seen that

I work in adult cardiac care and we have many patients who are non-compliant but we still strive to give them the best care we can and whatever they need while we have them in admission. We had one lady who refused to answer the calls from the people who fit and monitor the life vest once she was discharged so would try to arrange their appointments while she was inpatient. She shows up in our ED at least every month and stays for a week or so (although I have not seen her lately). The kinds of heart problems that require a transplant also affect other organ systems such as the kidneys requiring dialysis in many cases. There is often a long healthcare history that would indicate compliance -- to appointments, meds, diet etc. The hospital/doctors are not going to disclose these things d/t HIPPA. Perhaps the problems the young man had in school and with the law impacted his ability to comply medically-- that could be. Managing chronic illness with adolescents has its challenges as they just want to have a normal life and often will practice denial. That in itself is not a reason to deny a teen a transplant but the compliance in medical regimen -- absent the family support needed may lead his doctors to believe in a higher risk of failure/rejection and complications. I would not be so quick to point to racism here. In fact, the first bone marrow transplant in Michigan was done on an African American boy with sickle cell and it cured him.