Penn Medicine Breaks Silence on Heart Transplant Denial for Autistic Patient

Penn Medicine is part of the Hospital
of the University of Pennsylvania.

Much of the coverage devoted to Paul Corby’s quest to get a heart transplant has focused on the cardiac and transplant side of things. But Paul, of Pottsville, PA hasn’t been denied placement on the heart transplant list for cardiac reasons.
Paul has been denied placement on the heart transplant list, at least in part, because he has autism.
Paul, who has a rare congenital heart disorder called Left Ventricular Noncompaction (LVN), has had three mini-strokes already. He’s 23 years old. His father died of a stroke, caused by the same disease, at age 27.  Penn Medicine at Radnor, part of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, denied Paul placement on the heart transplant list in part because Paul is autistic.
A letter from a Penn Medicine transplant doctor to Paul’s mother, Karen Corby, reads, “I have recommended against a transplant given his psychiatric issues, autism, the complexity of the process, multiple procedures and the unknown and unpredictable effect of steroids on behavior."

Denying Health Care to Autistic Is Nothing New

From Age of Autism's Kim Stagliano.

Traditional and social media are abuzz with a story of a Pennsylvania man with autism who has been denied a heart transplant at The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania over his "psychiatric condition" and "autism."  His mother, Karen Corby, is rightfully outraged that her son's life has been judged and fallen short of the "criteria" for life.
In thinking about the story, it occurred to me that while denial of a heart transplant is cut and dried no bones about it refusal to give medical care to a sick American - it's only the ugly publicized tip of a dirty and monstrous iceberg under the surface of healthcare for people with autism.

Should Autism Block a Heart Transplant?

Paul Corby, left, joins
his mom, right, and
his family.

Twenty-three-year-old Paul Corby has a bad heart and a flawed mind.
The question before doctors now is whether his mental problems -- he has a form of autism - are severe enough to make him a bad candidate for a heart transplant.

Family: Heart Transplant Denied Due to Autism

From Babble's blogger Jocelyn Gray. Don't forget to sign the petition after reading this post.

POTTSVILLE, Pa. -- Karen Corby’s husband died at age 27 of a stroke, due to an undiagnosed heart condition. Now she is fighting for a heart transplant for her 23-year-old son, who has the same condition.
Paul Corby has Left Ventricular Noncompaction, a rare, congenital disorder in which part of the heart muscle appears spongy, or “non-compacted.” The heart is less able to pump blood throughout the body; Paul’s “ejection fraction” of blood through his heart is only 20 percent. Strokes and heart failure are common prognoses. Paul has had three mini-strokes already.
Paul now takes 19 medications a day, most of which are to try to stabilize his heart. The only cure for LVN is transplant.
Paul doesn’t drink, or smoke. He is an otherwise healthy 23-year-old man. And yet, he has been denied placement on the national heart transplant list.
According to the Corbys, and according to a letter from Penn Medicine which they shared with me, Paul has been denied the placement in large part because he is autistic.