The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation (JHLT) has decided against retracting a November 2024 paper that violated the ethics policy of the publication. After publishing the paper, which describes a new mechanical circulatory support device used to treat heart failure that was developed in China, staff at the journal realised two of the patients in the study had received organ transplants in that country.
After a "lengthy debate" the editors decided retracting the paper would be an "inappropriate response" despite the journal’s ethics statement. "We didn’t want to convey to the readership that there was something scientifically invalid about the paper. That’s not true. The paper was scientifically valid."
Dozens of research articles have been retracted or flagged for appearing to have used organs procured from executed prisoners in China, and many journals around the world have introduced policies to avoid such research.
