Case of Anthony Thomas ‘TJ’ Hoover II is under investigation by state and federal government officials

Case of Anthony Thomas ‘TJ’ Hoover II is under investigation by state and federal government officials

A man who had gone into cardiac arrest and been declared brain dead woke up as surgeons in his home state of Kentucky were in the middle of harvesting his organs for donation, his family has told media outlets.

As reported Thursday by both National Public Radio and the Kentucky news station WKYT, the case of Anthony Thomas “TJ” Hoover II is under investigation by state and federal government officials. Officials within the US’s organ-procurement system insist there are safeguards in place to prevent such episodes, though his family told the outlets their experience highlights a need for at least some reform.

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WKYT reported that Rhorer only learned the full details of her brother’s surgery at the hands of Baptist and the Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (Koda) in January. That’s when a former employee of Koda contacted her before sending a letter to a congressional committee that in September held a hearing scrutinizing organ-procurement organizations, NPR reported.

The letter’s author said she saw Hoover begin “thrashing” around on the operating table as well as start “crying visibly”, according to NPR.

    • @nutsack
      49•2 months ago

      We had actually opened the patient and were in the process of sort of preparing their organs, at which point the ventilator triggered and so the anesthesiologist at the head of the table spoke up and said, ‘Hey, I think this patient might have just breathed,’” Cannon later told NPR in an interview. “If the patient breathes, that means they’re not brain dead.”

      Nevertheless, a representative from the OPO wanted to proceed anyway, Cannon says.

      interesting

      • @Maggoty
        13•2 months ago

        That is dark, but you should include that it’s a different case. At least one person has already shared it as being this case.

      • @Agent641
        9•2 months ago

        If I’m at that point, and I breathe, just keep going. Full send it. Good luck finding a useful organ among the bunch, though.

    • @[email protected]
      12•2 months ago

      What a shitshow.

      This kind of shit is going to hurt people needing organs a lot. We need better organ donor safeguards so these kind of scandals dont happen.

      Though honestly, it sounds more like some of the speciliasts fucked up than the procedure being bad.