Well, waddya know. It seems smokers lungs are now "suitable" or may even be desirable to be donated for transplantation. To think how many patients waiting for an organ died needlessly because of the anti-smoking rhetoric about smokers' lungs being unsuitable. Anti's claim a pack a day smoker inhales a quart of tar per year and retains about a pint of that amount. Well, after 20 pack years, it seems those lungs are still viable for using in transplants. Go figger.

'Extended' criteria increase organ donations without compromising patient health

quote:

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Donors were considered "extended" if they met any of the following criteria: donor age of 55 or older, smoking history of more than 20 pack-years, having a history of pulmonary disease, chest radiographic changes, purulent sputum on bronchoscopy, or a decrease in oxygenation on 100 percent oxygen. Donors were matched with recipients, resulting in 20 patients receiving extended donor lungs and 11 patients receiving standard lungs. Recipients in both donor groups had similar outcomes in all posttransplant evaluation categories, including hospital and intensive care unit length of stay, length of intubation, readmission to the hospital, 6- and 12-month lung function tests, and 30-day mortality.

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So maybe the smokers are now considered donors - are they going to be considered for the transplants?????

When I changed my drivers license I did not automatically go for the organ donor. It's already listed in my living will.....Family and friends first.

Call it crass or un-Christian-like, but I don't care. The antis consider me less than human and not worthy of proper medical care unless they find me necessary all because I'm a smoker. Well they can kiss mah grits.

A few years ago a friend of mine died from a head injury (he fell in the shower) he was in perfect health, had just had a physical, worked out all the time, rode miles every day on his bicycle, black belt in karate, whole nine yards.

Because he was a smoker the only body parts they harvested from him were his corneas. And he was a major advocate of organ donation. Even his own personal physician argued against them not taking other organs because he was so healthy - the PC crap won.

When they change their attitude about smokers being donors and recipients I may go back to being an organ donor to other than my friedns and family.

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Smoke gnatzies: small minds buzzing in you business - SWAT'EM