Patient without COVID shot denied heart transplant

MENDON, Massachussetts (AP):

A Boston hospital in the United States is defending itself after a man’s family claimed he was denied a new heart for refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19, saying most transplant programs around the country set similar requirements to improve patients’ chances of survival.

The family of D.J. Ferguson said in a crowdfunding appeal this week that officials at Brigham and Women’s Hospital told the 31-year-old father of two that he was ineligible for the procedure because he has not been vaccinated against the coronavirus.

“We are literally in a corner right now. This is extremely time sensitive,” the family said in its fundraising appeal, which has raised tens of thousands of dollars. “This is not just a political issue. People need to have a choice!”

D.J.’s mother, Tracey Ferguson, insists that her son is not against vaccinations, noting he has had other immunizations in the past. But the trained nurse said that he has been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation – an irregular and often rapid heart rhythm – and that he has concerns about the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine.

INFORMED PATIENT

“D.J. is an informed patient,” Tracey Ferguson said in a brief interview. “He wants to be assured by his doctors that his condition would not be worse or fatal with this COVID vaccine.”

Brigham and Women’s Hospital declined to comment on D.J. Ferguson’s case, citing patient privacy laws. But it pointed to a response that it posted on its website in which it said the COVID-19 vaccine is one of several immunizations required by most US transplant programmes, including a flu shot and hepatitis B vaccines.

The hospital said research has shown that transplant recipients are at higher risk than non-transplant patients of dying from COVID-19, and that its policies are in line with the recommendations of the American Society of Transplantation and other health organisations.

Patients also must meet other health and lifestyle criteria to receive donated organs. It is unknown if D.J. Ferguson did or would have met them.

Brigham & Womens Hospital also stressed that no patient is placed on an organ waitlist without meeting those criteria, and rejected the notion that a transplant candidate could be considered “first on the list” for an organ – a claim Ferguson’s family made in its fundraising post.

“There are currently more than 100,000 candidates on waitlists for organ transplantation and a shortage of available organs . Around half of people on waiting lists will not receive an organ within five years,” the hospital said.

Hospitals in other states have faced similar criticism for denying transplants to patients who were not vaccinated against COVID-19.