Boston hospital denies heart transplant to patient who refused to get vaccinated against Covid-19
India Today
A Boston hospital denied a heart transplant to a man after he refused to be vaccinated against Covid-19, his family claimed.
A Boston hospital is defending itself after a man’s family claimed he was denied a new heart for refusing to be vaccinated against Covid-19, saying most transplant programs around the country set similar requirements to improve patients’ chances of survival.
The family of DJ Ferguson said in a crowdfunding appeal this week that officials at Brigham and Women’s Hospital told the 31-year-old father of two that he was ineligible for the procedure because he hasn’t been vaccinated against coronavirus.
“We are literally in a corner right now. This is extremely time sensitive,” the family said in its fundraising appeal, which has raised tens of thousands of dollars. “This is not just a political issue. People need to have a choice!”
DJ’s mother, Tracey Ferguson, insists that her son isn’t against vaccinations, noting he’s had other immunizations in the past. But the trained nurse said Wednesday that he’s been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation — an irregular and often rapid heart rhythm — and that he has concerns about the side effects of the Covid-19 vaccine.
“DJ is an informed patient,” Tracey Ferguson said in a brief interview at her home in Mendon, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southwest of Boston. “He wants to be assured by his doctors that his condition would not be worse or fatal with this Covid vaccine.”
Brigham and Women’s Hospital declined to comment on DJ Ferguson’s case, citing patient privacy laws. But it pointed to a response that it posted on its website in which it said the Covid-19 vaccine is one of several immunizations required by most US transplant programs, including a flu shot and hepatitis B vaccines.
The hospital said research has shown that transplant recipients are at higher risk than non-transplant patients of dying from Covid-19, and that its policies are in line with the recommendations of the American Society of Transplantation and other health organizations.
