He received no special treatment. He waited 20 months for it. Why is this even a question. The man is 71 years old, which is hardly all that old these days. But for those of you with no political connections, if you want to see your mom or dad, or even yourselves, die at a relatively young age because lifesaving treatment was denied, continue to support obamacare. The death panels will function about as honestly as the chicago elections board.
So you support having a personality test for heart transplant eligibility? Or would you just exclude all republican officeholders?
Let us know if you feel the same way when you are 70. I remember in my teens I thought I would be ready to go when I hit 30. Then I changed my mind.
This morning I heard an interview with John Kobashigawa (sp?), the doctor in charge of heart transplants at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (one of the largest medical facilities in the US). He said there is no official cutt-off age for heart transplant recipients. If the patient is over 70, then there are some additional qualification criteria; but if the patient is in otherwise good health then he is still eligible for a heart transplant at any age. The doctor also said that older patients are often more successful in heart transplants because their immune system is not as strong and the chance of rejection/failure is lower. Heart transplant patients generally have a 60% chance of living 10 years and a 5% chance of living 20 years.