The US government is tightening oversight of its organ transplant system after troubling reports that organs were being removed from patients who were not definitively dead. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Monday that a nonprofit organ procurement organization (OPO) serving Kentucky and parts of Ohio and West Virginia faces possible decertification over repeated lapses, per the Washington Post. The move follows both an internal HHS investigation and a New York Times report detailing cases where patients exhibited signs of life—such as a beating heart—during organ removal procedures.
Kennedy cited a review of 351 cases handled by the Kentucky-based OPO, Network for Hope, which found 103 troubling incidents, including 73 patients with neurological signs that made them ineligible for organ donation. Of particular concern: at least 28 patients might not have been deceased when the process began. "This is horrifying," Kennedy said. The agency uncovered issues ranging from poor neurological assessments and questionable consent practices to misclassified causes of death. In response, HHS will require OPOs to implement procedures allowing any staffer to halt donations over safety concerns, review protocol failures, and clarify eligibility rules.
The changes come as the number of annual organ transplants has jumped 23% since 2020, partly due to more donations from patients declared dead after their hearts stop, rather than brain death. Yet, demand remains high, with around 105,000 people on the waiting list and 13 dying each day waiting for organs. Industry groups and the implicated OPO say they support reform. The Association of Organ Procurement Organizations called the findings serious, while Network for Hope's chief executive pledged cooperation with federal officials. The issue heads to a House hearing Tuesday as scrutiny of the system intensifies.
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