Transplant Group To Consider Lung Rule Changes
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The organization that sets national rules for organ transplants has scheduled a teleconference to discuss how lungs are allocated to young people.
The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network executive committee will meet by phone Monday evening and listen to medical experts and representatives of the public.
The teleconference was prompted by federal Michael Baylson's ruling last week that a dying 10-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy in a Pennsylvania hospital should be eligible for adult lungs.
OPTN spokeswoman Anne Paschke says the committee could order modifications to existing rules or take other action.
Existing OPTN rules handle lung transplants differently for people under and over the age of 12. Some medical experts say there are sound reasons for that, but the judge suggested the distinction is arbitrary in some cases.
(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
