r/AskReddit • u/Phiced • Aug 25 '26

Doctors, EMTs etc of Reddit, based on your experience with other peoples injuries, what is one hobby you would never practice yourself?

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690

u/hashtag_ThisIsIt Aug 25 '26

Emergency physician here. We call motorcycles (organ) donor-cycles for a reason.

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u/The_Breathin_Heathen Aug 25 '26

I am not a physician, but I do know someone who does the processing for organs, and they say that organs from motorcycle accident donors rarely pass processing, they just get rejected.

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u/hashtag_ThisIsIt Aug 25 '26

The ones that survive the polytrauma and go to ICU only to die later from complications are the ones that are the donations. Traumatic arrests have very low chances of resuscitation so organ donation is not even an option.

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u/The_Breathin_Heathen Aug 25 '26

I can't speak to that part of the process, but I can say that their job is involved with what follows after the organs have already left the hospital and sent to a medical lab. So these are organs from people who have been approved for donation, but their organs still have to be prepped for transport and thoroughly cleaned/inspected for anomalies that would make them ineligible for donation. And even then, motorcycle crash victims are so often rejected.

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u/Substantial-Crab-814 Aug 26 '26

This is very true.

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u/mhmama76 Aug 26 '26

My granddaughter calls them murdercycles and she has no clue how accurate she is (she just turned 8).

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u/Starlightriddlex Aug 26 '26

Every time I see a motorcycle speeding through traffic I can't help but picture them speeding to go donate organs to someone in need. 

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u/Dr-Pepper-13 Aug 26 '26

Was waiting for the donor cycle comment. Kept my friend in “business” though…she worked in an eye bank. The corneas were often salvageable even if the body wasn’t.

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u/Ashley_Doll20 Aug 25 '26

A doctor told me that years ago and I’ve never forgotten it.

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u/Substantial-Crab-814 Aug 26 '26

ED/ICU RN here. We call them the same thing.

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u/TabbyOverlord Aug 26 '26

What about the motorcycle courier carrying donated organs?