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| California Inmate Who Got New Heart Dies |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 12/19/2002 |
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An inmate who received a new heart in an operation that touched off a nationwide debate over the ethics of organ transplants for convicts has died at age 32, 11 months after the surgery. The prisoner, whose name was never released, died Monday at Stanford Medical Center after entering the hospital Nov. 23 with signs that he was rejecting the organ. He was believed by state officials to be the nation's first state prison inmate to receive a heart transplant. He had been serving a 14-year sentence for a 1996 Los Angeles robbery and was up for parole in 2008. Prison officials said that the prisoner had failed to follow doctors' recommendations for maintaining his health after the transplant. 'I can tell you he has not been a model patient,' said Corrections Department spokesman Russ Heimerich. The transplant, performed on a day when more than 500 Californians were on waiting lists for new hearts, triggered an angry reaction among talk radio listeners and others who said criminals should not be eligible. Medical professionals defended the transplant, saying that the inmate met all medical criteria and that doctors do not have the right to make such public-policy decisions. Prison officials also cited court rulings that require them to give inmates the same medical care due other Californians. They said the transplant itself cost $850,000, while follow-up care pushed the cost to more than $1 million. The prisoner's own heart had been damaged by a viral infection. |
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