Hospital Case Study: Ethical Analysis of Heart Transplant Decision

This case study presents a memorandum for the record detailing a lead surgeon's decision to allocate a heart for transplant to a young girl, Lisa, over two other patients, a father of three and a man with no family. The decision was made under time constraints with limited resources. The surgeon considered the patients' medical histories, family situations, and potential for future contributions to society. The memorandum justifies the choice through a utilitarian ethical framework, emphasizing the potential for the decision to benefit a greater number of people, including the hospital through a donation from the girl's father. The analysis also considers the ethical philosophies of John Stuart Mill and John Locke to bolster the decision, weighing factors such as the girl's youth and potential for inspiration against the other patients' needs and circumstances. The case highlights the complexities of ethical decision-making in healthcare, particularly when resources are scarce and difficult choices must be made.

MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
Subject: Decision taken on heart transplant surgery to Lisa
Enclosed: Complete details of Lisa’s health and overall report
As the lead surgeon of the hospital, I have made the decision to provide heart transplant
surgery to Lisa, daughter of Dr. Jonathan Doe. With limited time I had to make the decision as
there were two other patients awaiting the heart transplant. Quite unfortunately, only one heart
has been received by us and hence, we had to make the hard decision of choosing only one
patient. I made the decision to choose Lisa because she is firstly, a precocious girl who is about
to reach the most important stage of her life – teenage. While all of you might not agree with my
decision but I feel I have taken the right decision as it would benefit not only the girl and her
family but the entire hospital.
The other two patients were a 55-year old father of three and the other a 38-year old man
with no family. While Jerry, the 55-year old patient has three children who could take care of the
family after him, Ozzy, the 38-year old man who has no one to look after. Jerry’s children are of
the age 14, 16 and 19 and his wife is not educated enough to do a job. Apart from that, his
youngest child is mildly autistic. With a transplant, Jerry had the chances of living for another 10
to 15 years and Ozzy too had similar chances.
Ozzy had lived his life in the streets living on cocaine. He was brought to the hospital by
a charity organization and he aims to work for the same charity if he gets a heart transplant.
Nonetheless, the reports indicate that recidivism is a serious risk associated with Ozzy and if he

goes back to his cocain induced life, he might die even with the new heart. On the other hand,
Lisa’s chances of surviving through her 20s even after the transplant are very less. Despite this, I
decided to go with Lisa keeping in mind various other crucial reasons. However, when looked at
the situation from the utilitarian perspective of ethics, I was right in making the decision I made.
Had I chosen Jerry, I could have done well for his family because he is the sole earner in the
family. Choosing Ozzy for the heart transplant would have benefitted him in the way that it
would have helped him to work with a charity and improve his life. However, I looked for other
factors in the two cases and found that selecting Lisa for the transplant is the fair decision. Jerry
damaged his heart using steroids during his 20s and Ozzy continuously abused and overdosed
crack cocaine to make his heart week. Lisa on the other hand, had faced health issues all her life
and was never indulged in any type of drug addiction.
In other aspects as well, choosing Jerry or Ozzy would not have benefitted a greater
number of people, which is the fundamental principle of utilitarian ethics. Choosing either Jerry
or Ozzy would have brought happiness to a limited number of people. I chose to go with Lisa
because providing her with a heart transplant will bring happiness to the entire hospital along
with her parents. It does not matter how many more years she lives, what matters is the
happiness that her family will feel on having their daughter back. Not only that, her father, Dr.
Jonathan Doe has offered 2 million dollars for the construction of specialized facilities in the
hospital, which is very much a need for the hospital right now. Furthermore, being an oncologist
himself, Dr. Doe will be a great asset to the hospital and his dedication and passion for the
profession is what we need in the hospital. The reports of Lisa state that she has very little
chances of surviving even after the transplant. However, I believe that with even that small
chance, it is worth taking the risk because the knowledge and talent she has at such a young age

will be an inspiration for many her age. Apart from that, her life will bring smiles to the many
staff that work tirelessly throughout in the hospital owing to her father’s generous offer. I
therefore, rest my case with the statement that saving one life sometimes gives the greatest
pleasure because it brings smiles to more than one face. Heart transplant for Lisa will bring
smiles to all alike.