The Science and Skill of Organ Harvesting

When dealing with the death of a loved one in a hospital setting, there can be so many things to consider. Sadness and grief may become overwhelming for both the patient and loved ones alike. But thanks to modern medical science, many terminally ill individuals are given the opportunity to alleviate the suffering of others, choosing through their own death to offer the chance to perpetuate life in unexpected, often miraculous ways.

Organ harvesting refers to the removal, preservation and use of human organs and tissue from the bodies of the recently deceased to be used in surgical transplants on the living. Though mired in ethical debate and heavily regulated, organ harvesting in the United States has largely become an accepted medical practice. This is good news, as the number of people needing a transplant continues to rise faster than the number of donors. Over 4,000 transplant candidates are added to the national waiting list each month, and every day doctors across the country perform between seventy to eighty transplants of the various organs within the human body.

Though these numbers are in many ways astounding, they still fall short of the need, as approximately eighteen people die each day while waiting for a suitable donor to be found to match their condition and blood type. There are now more than 105,000 people on the waiting list for solid organ transplants. Experts suggest that each of us could save or help as many as fifty people by being an organ and tissue donor.

It is important to remember that total organ donation is only considered once it is clear that a patient has no hope of survival. Until that time, the focus is on healing the patient at hand. The prospect of gathering viable organs from a severely injured patient plays no role whatsoever in a doctor’s overall diagnosis or treatment, as every doctor is medically and ethically obligated to provide each patient with the best quality care until such time as brain death occurs. Pledging to donate an organ will never place the patient in added jeopardy, though it may just save a stranger from harm. Organ donation can be an altruistic gesture, a testament both to the spirit of humankind and the ingenuity that has gone into making such a process possible.

Coast Plaza Clinical Laboratory Update

In recent weeks, Coast Plaza was granted the opportunity to review the Hospital’s regulatory oversight, including its accreditation process. Separate from the accreditation Coast Plaza receives from both the Joint Commission and Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (“HFAP”), Coast Plaza’s Clinical Laboratory is subject to additional regulatory surveys that focus on the ultimate goal of improving patient care. In addition to undergoing triennial surveys by both the Joint Commission and HFAP, hospital clinical laboratories must also be approved by Medicare and CMS (which stands for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services). The division within CMS that bears responsibility for this oversight (commonly known as “CLIA,” the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments), covers approximately 200,000 laboratory programs and regulates all laboratory testing (with the exception of research) performed on humans in the United States. During separate visits, Coast Plaza’s Clinical Laboratory welcomed both HFAP and Medicare through its doors for regulatory surveys. In both instances the laboratory staff satisfied all applicable standards and showed the outside world, once again, that dedication to excellent patient care is Coast Plaza’s top priority. I offer my congratulations to the Hospital’s laboratory for its outstanding performance during this matter.

Spotlight – Dr. Eli Ayoub

For the past two years, Dr. Eli Ayoub, M.D., F.A.C.S., has been the Vice Chief of Surgery with Coast Plaza Hospital, offering services in Ear, Nose and Throat practice as well as Facial Plastic Surgery in addition to his aforementioned duties.

Dr. Ayoub received his B.S. degree in biology and then his M.D. degree from Creighton University in Nebraska. He then divided his residency between Creighton and St. Luke´s Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio.

A master of many fields with a range of interests, Dr. Ayoub is certified in Otolaryngology / Head and Neck Surgery, Forensic Medicine, and Occupational Medicine. Among his many fellowships are those of the American Academy of Otolaryngology / Head and Neck Surgery, the American College of Surgeons, the American Association for Clinical Immunology and Allergy, the International Board of Surgeons, and the PanAmerican Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery.

His memberships are equally diverse, ranging from the American Medical Association, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the American Sleep Disorder Society, the American Otolaryngology Society, the American Laser Society, and the American Tinnitus Association.

Dr. Ayoub’s focus on his Lebanese heritage has taken many forms as well. A founding member and past President of the American Lebanese League, he also helped to found both the Los Angeles and Orange County chapters. He is a Board Member of the Mid-West Federation of American Lebanese Clubs and a past President of the American Lebanese Medical Association, who recently awarded him a lifetime achievement award.

This distinct blend of skill, professionalism, and diversity make Dr. Ayoub the perfect person to represent Coast Plaza Hospital´s surgical prowess. We are pleased to have him as a top member of our team.

Information Technology at Coast Plaza

Running a hospital is a round the clock job that often deals with high pressure situations and sensitive information, and there is no room for technological error when lives and privacy are on the line. Entrusted to keep all technology related systems, software, and communications both safe and secure, Coast Plaza Hospital is proud of our choice to partner with our friends at DATAFRAME.

Sean Huang (the face of DATAFRAME to most of us), Michael Tsai, and Joe Tseng have consistently shown themselves up to the task of providing all network services, email administration, and any IT related functions the Hospital might need to perform at its best, no matter what solution they are called upon to deliver.

On top of these responsibilities, the IT team is also entrusted with overseeing certain projects that combine technology and medicine in a hospital setting, such as researching and trying to find the right "HITECH" partner for Coast Plaza, coordinating the county emergency systems network with our own, overseeing our PACS system and ensuring that all clinical systems properly interface with one another as well as with the hospital's billing systems. All of this they do while maintaining patient privacy and providing the highest level of both security and reliability. We owe them a debt of gratitude with every email we send or receive.

Coast Plaza Free Diabetes Education Seminar

This evening, Thursday, June 3rd, Coast Plaza Hospital is pleased to offer our free Diabetes Education Program from 6 to 8 pm. This seminar helps patients address the many issues and concerns that affect people with diabetes. Patients are given the opportunity to discuss their situation with others who have the disease as well as medical professionals who will be happy to provide information, support and advice on how to control the symptoms of diabetes.

This week’s seminar will be held in the Coast Plaza Hospital Doctors Dining Room, 13100 Studebaker Road, Norwalk , CA , 90650 . Patients are requested to reserve a spot early since space is limited. To register, please call 1-877-532-4545.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with diabetes, I urge you to make use of this free opportunity to learn more about your condition and discover new ways to improve your quality of life.