Directed altruistic living donation: what is wrong with the beauty contest?

Directed altruistic living donation: what is wrong with the beauty contest?

This paper explores the specific criticism of directed altruistic living organ donation that it creates a 'beauty contest' between potential recipients of organs. The notion of the beauty contest in transplantation was recently used by Neidich et al who stated that '[a]ltruism should be the guiding motivation for all donations, and when it [is], there is no place for a beauty contest'. I examin...

Is altruistic-directed living unrelated organ donation a legal fiction?

activity in porcine septic shock. Anaesth Intensive Care 2007; 35: 911–919 25. Matson JR, Zydney AR, Honore PM. Blood filtration: new opportunities and the implications on system biology. Crit Care Resuc 2004; 6: 209–218 26. Palevsky PM, Zhang JH, O’Connor TZ et al. Intensity of renal support in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury. N Engl J Med 2008; 359: 7–20 27. Ronco C, Honore P...

Empathy, social media, and directed altruistic living organ donation.

In this article we explore some of the ethical dimensions of using social media to increase the number of living kidney donors. Social media provides a platform for changing non-identifiable 'statistical victims' into 'real people' with whom we can identify and feel empathy: the so-called 'identifiable victim effect', which prompts charitable action. We examine three approaches to promoting kid...

Controversies in organ donation: the altruistic living donor.

What is wrong with what is said?

The scientific flaws in medical research, especially as they relate to randomized controlled trials are rather uniform and the common denominator of such flaws is the attempt to prove, rather than falsify, the study hypothesis. This interactive educational exercise is an attempt to highlight these flaws in short scenarios.