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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2009
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Case Against Transplant Doc Raises Concern

Prosecution claims he killed for organs; others say technique to blame

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(Newser) – Charges against a California surgeon for hastening the death of a disabled man so his organs could be harvested for transplants has advocates worried, the New York Times reports. At issue is whether Dr. Hootan Roozrokh ignored protocol in pursuit of organs for transplant or if he misused, or misunderstood, a less-often-used harvesting technique.

The case will put the "donation after cardiac death" procedure in the spotlight, and there are fears it could stop people from donating organs—and stop surgeons transplanting them. “If you think a malpractice lawsuit is scaring surgeons off, wait to see what happens when people see a surgeon being charged criminally and going to jail," one transplant expert said.

This police booking photo released by the San Luis Obispo, Calif., County Sheriff's department, Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2007, shows Dr. Hootan Roozrokh, 33, who is accused of prescribing excessive drugs to a disabled patient to speed up his death and harvest his organs. Allegations that Roozrokh tried to speed the...
This police booking photo released by the San Luis Obispo, Calif., County Sheriff's department, Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2007, shows Dr. Hootan Roozrokh, 33, who is accused of prescribing excessive drugs to...   (Associated Press)
This undated photo released by Kaiser Permanente shows Dr. Hootan Roozrokh, 33, of San Francisco, who is accused of prescribing excessive drugs to a disabled patient to speed up his death and harvest his organs. Roozrokh has been charged in the first such criminal case against a transplant doctor in...
This undated photo released by Kaiser Permanente shows Dr. Hootan Roozrokh, 33, of San Francisco, who is accused of prescribing excessive drugs to a disabled patient to speed up his death and harvest...   (Associated Press)
Experts fear that the case of Dr Hootan Roozrokh, accused of accelerating a patient's death to harvesyt his organs for transplant, could dissuade people from becoming organ donors.
Experts fear that the case of Dr Hootan Roozrokh, accused of accelerating a patient's death to harvesyt his organs for transplant, could dissuade people from becoming organ donors.   (Shutter Stock)
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organ harvesting • organ transplants • medical malpractice • Stanford University • organ donor • hospital • Hootan Roozrokh • surgeon • cardiac-death organ donations • brain-death organ donations • American Society of Transplant Surgeons • Donate Life America • Betadine • adrenoleukodystrophy • California Transplant Donor Network • United Network for Organ Sharing

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