The Undead: Organ Harvesting, the Ice-Water Test, Beating-Heart Cadavers--How Medicine Is Blurring the Line Between Life and Death

This book explains the wide variation in human resuscitation capabilities in hospitals. Because of the variability in the experience of medical staff attending emergency life saving events and the diversity of resuscitation equipment at their disposal, outcomes vary considerably. Add to this the lack of standardized guidelines as to when a patient should be declared “dead”, presents questions and concerns about exactly when organs are then harvested for transplant. This creates an atmosphere of cross purposes between the medical team responsible for saving lives in the emergency room and the medical team eagerly awaiting organs for transplant too another patient. The scenario is very worrisome and should prompt potential organ donors to reconsider their wishes in that regard.