ABSTRACT
This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. The part addresses both patient selection criteria and organ procurement procedures. It describes in greater detail the obstacles to obtaining organs encountered by the health care team, both in the acute care setting and in the chronic care unit. The part examines several proposals for increasing the supply of donor organs. It argues against both of the positions and offers reasons for choosing the third alternative: Maintain the definition of death, but allow organs to be taken from anencephalic infants. The part aims to explores, analyzes, explains, and evaluates the major ethical issues raised by the necessity of choosing some patients among many to receive this scarce lifesaving technology. It addresses the enormously complex issues of the patient's quality of life, the proper trade-off in selection criteria between urgency of need and expected benefit, and fair access to treatment.
