House Energy and Commerce Chairman Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., discussed his personal experience with organ transplantation and the need for families to have confidence in the system to avoid fear of donating much-needed organs. The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee held a hearing with Dr. Raymond Lynch, the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) chief of the organ transplant branch, and leaders of the Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) and the nonprofit organ sharing network.
The investigation revealed that hospitals and OPOs in Kentucky were allowing organ procurement processes to begin despite patients showing signs of life. Since December 2024, out of 351 cases involving patients who had been authorized for organ procurement, but the organs were ultimately not recovered, 29% showed neurological signs not conducive to organ procurement. Guthrie emphasized the importance of having confidence in the system and knowing the questions to ask when in the end stage with their loved one.
Guthrie’s experience stems from his mother’s death waiting on a new liver, which was not in the adequate shape to be transplanted. Despite the alarming evidence uncovered by HRSA’s investigation, Guthrie intends to keep his donor status and adds “we need more people to donate.” Currently, around 100,000 people are waiting for an organ transplant.
