The organ donor wasn’t dead

From ABCNews.com: French Near-Death Case Stirs Debate on Organ Donors

This is a frightening story about a man who’s heart had stopped beating for 1 1/2 hours but revived as doctors were preparing to remove his organs for transplants.

It was at that point that the astonished surgeons noticed the man was beginning to breathe unaided again, his pupils were active, he was giving signs that he could feel pain — and finally, his heart started beating again.

Several weeks later, the man can walk and talk.

This case has stirred debate in France about when a patient is actually dead in cardiac arrest situations.  Any impropriety in organ transplantation could lead to those not offering their organs for transplant if they feel like it could jeopardize their lives if they are in a critical but survivable condition.