Heart Transplant

Dick Cheney says he may have to have a transplant in order to live.

Has not yet made up his mind.

He has the insurance for it for sure but I wonder about the protocols and waiting time. Would he be favored ahead of others? People have died in Arizona because the state can't afford to pay for transplants they say.

He for certain needs to have an end of life talk with his doctors.
Wouldn't he needed to have had a heart in the first place?
Cheaper2buyit's Avatar
silly I agree fuckem let some poor kid get the heart
BigMikeinKC's Avatar
It shouldn't be too hard to find another lump of coal.
kcbigpapa's Avatar
How much you wanna bet that the guy he shot while quail hunting steps up to give him his heart? Hell the dipshit apologized to Cheney for Cheney shooting him. "Excuse me Mr. Cheney, I apologize for getting in the way of your buckshot."
dirty dog's Avatar
AHHHH Dick Cheney, Washingtons version of ECCIE's John Galt, the man everyone loves to hate.
Bartman1963's Avatar
DICK Cheney: has there ever been a man so aptly named?
CuteOldGuy's Avatar
Gentlemen, Ladies, Please!

The President of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama, has implored us, in light of recent events, to become more civil in our social discourse. It is possible that someone may be reading this, and could use the vitriolic rhetoric as an incitement to violence against innocent parties.

And you know damn well that if something like that happens from this board, they will blame me!

SO BE NICE, DAMMIT!

Whittington stated, "My family and I are deeply sorry for all that vice president Cheney has had to go through this past week.
Sens55's Avatar
I know a little about this as someone I am very close to works with heart transplants on a daily basis. Who the person is has little to do with who gets on the list. He may get some help in jumping higher on the list if he can get on it. But the reality is they look at all kinds of things to determine if a person has a lifestyle conducive to supporting the new organ if secured. Things like blood pressure, diet, weight, smoking, drugs, etc all play a role.

And even then, it comes down to having an exact match. Once a donor heart is found it's literally a "do it now or else" move. The recipient almost never knows the donor (or their family). If they survive they can ask after a certain period of time (1 year I think) and the donor family can decline. It's all anonymous up to that point.
dirty dog's Avatar
I know a little about this as someone I am very close to works with heart transplants on a daily basis. Who the person is has little to do with who gets on the list. He may get some help in jumping higher on the list if he can get on it. But the reality is they look at all kinds of things to determine if a person has a lifestyle conducive to supporting the new organ if secured. Things like blood pressure, diet, weight, smoking, drugs, etc all play a role.

And even then, it comes down to having an exact match. Once a donor heart is found it's literally a "do it now or else" move. The recipient almost never knows the donor (or their family). If they survive they can ask after a certain period of time (1 year I think) and the donor family can decline. It's all anonymous up to that point. Originally Posted by Sens55
Sens that may be true for normal people, but ther reality is fame and money make a difference. When Mantle was given a liver after a very short period of time on the list. Jumping him over many others was bad enough but he had already been diagnoised with cancer. In normal cases they will not give an organ to someone who has a co morbidity. I remember when this went down there was suppose to have been a couple of matches but they where jumped over.
Here is a link to a story about Steve Jobs' liver transplant.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/...n5101417.shtml

He put himself on the waiting list in Tennessee, a state he does not live in, because it has a much shorter waiting period. He has the financial capability to take a chartered jet anywhere in the country in less time than most people take to drive to the hospital (I knew a woman needing a liver who always had her luggage packed, to make the 7 hr trip to St. Louis for example).

Did he jump in line? I'm sure people behind him on the list in TN did not like it. Did he use his fame and wealth to get bumped up in the line? No, he wasn't able to do that....just was able to get to a shorter line.

So, Cheney could probably do something similar to Jobs (although the shelf life of a live heart might be shorter than that of a liver).


I'd love to hear what people in the transplant business think about the possibility of the rich and famous 'shopping' for the locations with the shortest waits...sans all the Cheney is evil talk.
Cheaper2buyit's Avatar
He can always just get one from Iraq or some other third world country you know he has the hook up money talks poor people well sad to say die
Longermonger's Avatar
Why would you want Dick Cheney alive? I'm asking you. What good has this man done? What good do you expect him to do in the future? He's arguably done more to harm the citizens and future of United States than anyone in the last decade. At the very least, he's done more harm than good.

He has a Weapon of Mass Destruction for a heart.

Instead, give some young person with a bright future a second chance at life. Let Dick Cheney live as long as he can on his own blood pump.
How about this.........we put him on top of the list and then have the transplant DEFERRED 5 times?