Doctor Intervenes to Save Patient from Unethical Organ Harvesting

In an extraordinary case at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital, a neurosurgeon, Dr. Zohny Zohny, stepped in to prevent the illegal and unethical harvesting of a patient's organs. The patient, Larry Black Jr., was brought to the hospital after suffering a gunshot wound to the head. Despite initial plans for Black's organs to be harvested for donation, he was still alive and showing signs of consciousness, which raised serious concerns about the legality and ethics of proceeding with organ removal.

Larry Black had arrived at the hospital with a gunshot injury that left him in critical condition. While he was on the operating table, preparations for organ extraction were underway based on consent from his family. However, Dr. Zohny, who was assigned to Black’s case, noticed signs of neurological activity indicating that Black was not brain-dead as required by law for organ donation.

Despite resistance from the surgical team, Dr. Zohny demanded that Black be removed from the operating table, asserting that the patient was not legally dead and had not been properly declared brain-dead. This intervention was crucial because, without a proper declaration, proceeding with organ harvesting would have been illegal and unethical.

What followed was a tense situation where Dr. Zohny managed to get Black back into the ICU. Miraculously, Black woke up two days later and began regaining consciousness. His recovery challenged the assumptions about brain death and raised important questions regarding the protocols for organ donation and the state of consciousness.

This case highlighted profound issues within the organ donation system, including the importance of accurate brain death diagnoses and proper procedures. It also drew attention to systemic problems, such as the risk of premature organ harvesting from patients who are not truly deceased.

Black's experience emphasizes that human consciousness and death are complex and not yet fully understood, pointing to the need for more precise and ethical standards in organ transplantation. Dr. Zohny's bravery not only saved Black's life but also sparked a broader conversation about the integrity of organ donation practices in the United States.

The incident underscores the critical need for improvements in policies and the importance of respecting patient awareness and consciousness during the organ donation process, to ensure ethical and lawful treatment of potential donors.

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-surgical-team-harvest-doctor-intervened.html