[Verified Answer]: Ira Harker Needs a Kidney*60-year-old Ira…

Ira Harker Needs a Kidney*60-year-old Ira Harker needs a liver transplant badly. There is no question that on the PELD/MELD criteria that determine how badly someone needs a liver transplant, Ira’s numbers were right up there with anyone on the list for hospital transplant in his area. If Ira does not get a liver transplant in the next three months, he could die. He got to the point where he needs a liver lobe so badly because of prolonged alcohol abuse. The only transplant center within driving distance of his home is County Hospital. According to the UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing) guidelines that County must follow, decisions about transplant eligibility must be based on medical criteria and consider all ethical principles. The ethics committee at County meets to consider adding Ira to its transplant list. One committee member asks how long Mr. Harker has been sober, since to be eligible, no candidates for a liver transplant should drink alcohol. Harker just received his one-year chip from Alcoholics Anonymous and reports that he hasn’t drunk alcohol (except for one three-day relapse) in two years. He is otherwise in average health for a 60-year-old man.Here are some other facts brought up in the committee: The five-year survival rate of sober patients is 63% equal to or above the next five patients on the current list waiting for a liver transplant. There is no statistical evidence that alcoholics are more likely than non-alcoholics to drink after their transplant. Some studies suggest that alcoholics and non-alcoholics consume similar amounts of alcohol following theirtransplants.