Inside the Ethics Committee - Series 5 - Transplant

Joan Bakewell discusses the thorny ethical issues in the real life case of a young woman called Charlotte who needs a kidney transplant. Since her kidneys failed she has to spend every night attached to a dialysis machine. Dialysis is by no means perfect and her long term outlook is bleak. Doctors do not expect her to be alive in a decade. Her only hope is a kidney transplant from a living donor. But Charlotte is an extremely high risk patient. She suffers from a severe form of antiphospholipid syndrome or 'sticky blood'. There is a high chance that a transplanted organ will fail if it is transplanted into Charlotte, and she could even lose her life. Is it ethical to offer Charlotte a kidney transplant? Whether the organ comes from the cadaver waiting list or a live donor, is this the best use of a precious resource when there is a high chance the organ will fail? Joan Bakewell is joined by a panel of experts to discuss the complex ethical issues arising from the case.