On the quickness of approval for the liver, there is a waiting list, but as you know, the matching is done through an organ donor network by computer so it’s decided very quickly. It’s not a first-come-first-served basis. Factors considered are urgency of need, best matching, and proximity of organ to recipient. Perhaps because the brother had a DNR, so deterioration began right away leaving no time to ship the liver anywhere. House lost out, timewise, even right at the hospital.

1. What kind of patients was Wilson leaving in the lurch while he was donating liver? Not only might Wilson die or experience complications, he would be out of work for a while. The hospital would be unexpectedly (and preventably) short one good doctor for at least a few weeks, probably several. He would be saving one life to do what to, to shortchange how many other patients?

2. Knowing he was going to be donating liver the next day, he went out the night before and soaked the liver with alcohol? He should have been taking especially good care of that liver, instead.

3. House and Wilson’s talk with the sister could have been done better, but her reasons for refusal were based on a misunderstanding of the extent of what was going to happen. The sister was apparently making the legal decisions for her brother. In a matter of life and death it was reasonable judgment to talk to her and clear up the misunderstandings. HIPAA is about preserving patient privacy where possible, not forcing doctors to make rigid and foolish choices. They are supposed to weigh and balance the benefits. A clear violation of HIPAA, for example, would have been having a revealing phone conversation about a patient in a busy corridor if a private room was handy.

When I heard about the liver problems after the chemo, I just assumed the drug used was one metabolized by the liver. We don’t know what liver problems he had previously.

@Charlie, There are states, now, in which turkey hunters are required by law to wear blaze orange. Wisconsin, I know, is one. This is because every year turkey hunters wearing camouflage are mistaken for turkeys and shot. Because they crouch down, hide in the bushes, make turkey calls, and when they move other hunters wishfully think it’s the real thing and shoot. They also wear turkey colors attempting to fool the turkeys but also fool the hunters. However, I looked up the law in New Jersey, and Jersey does make an exception to the blaze orange law for wild turkey hunters.

Here, we joked that Wilson didn’t want to donate because he knows all of the behind the scenes risks and unpleasantness vs. a patient just walking in. Even in one of the better hospitals.

Love the relationship between House and Wilson and agree, evil (not so much evil as amoral) Wilson — WHEEEEE!!!! : ) The emotional depth when House admitted to Wilson how he needs him, then came to support him was just *sniff*

Don’t feel too bad about the guy leaving the ex again. I think the girlfriend got a pretty good idea who she was dealing with, as did the ex and daughter.

No tissue matching, 5/6 and other problems (as seen for example with the girl “killed” by Chase and her brother trying to find a liver donor in Maxico)?

Also, did Wilson tranfused his blood to this patient previously? This should be easy, so easy that in fact they should had probably just use the blood bank?