Right to Life: The Brain Donor

Prologue

Dr. Emil Watkins sat in the doctor’s lounge, reading the latest copy of the Journal of American Medicine. It was a light evening in the ER at Hennepin County Medical Center. With the temperature hovering around 20 degrees below zero, people were not out and about, preferring to stay indoors. That suited him, the snow and wind had been difficult to get through on his way here, and he certainly thought that nobody should be out unless it was crucial.

There was a fascinating story out of the Mayo Clinic about a new experimental use for ProOx. As most people in the medical profession knew, the revolutionary solution had been introduced 5 years ago. It allowed for direct oxygenation of the cells of an organ, allowing for organs to survive extended periods when not receiving oxygen through normal means. Transplants no longer had severe time windows in which organs needed to arrive and be implanted within. The article was fascinating, but the new application would cause major implications in medical and legal circles. Ethics issues and court cases would surely arise once the new procedures were attempted, and more questions would arise if they were successful.

Dr. Watkins hard the call in from an ambulance that was 5 minutes out. They had a trauma patient coming in. Time always creeps slowly when the call is received. The urgency of the patient’s needs cause you to become hyper aware. You wait for the paramedics. You analyze the situation, managing everything as you wait and wait.

The doors burst open, a gurney was being wheeled in by two large men.

The taller of the two announce the situation. “Thomas Kinkaid, 26. Pedestrian vs. auto. BP is 90 over 60, intubated and shocked twice in the field. Multiple blunt traumas and contusions.”

Doctor Watkins looked the patient over, giving instructions to the nurses at his side. “type and match, we need to stabilize him!”, he said in a rapid manner.

It was no good though, Thomas had too many internal injuries. Then Dr. Watkins remembered the article.

“I need someone from legal down here ASAP, and get me a ProOx rapid infuser. Get Dr. Avery Thompkins, from the Mayo Clinic on the line.”, he bellowed to the Head Nurse at the Admittance desk.

This had better work and be worth it, or our asses will really be on the line, he mused to himself as reached for the bone saw.