Have there ever been cases where a patient receives a heart transplant only to expire a few years later due to, oh let’s say, trauma (or anything for that matter that doesn’t affect the heart) and they’ve then extracted the heart to then transplant in another patient? Is this even possible? Ethical?
Ethical certainly. Possible - maybe. Likely? No - most organ recipients experience at least some rejection. Over the years the damage builds up (it’s not unusual for a heart transplant recipient to need another transplant in 10-12 years or so due to a build up of damage). The result is that the post-transplanted heart is not as healthy as it originally was and may be a poor choice to put into someone else.
That said, if the alternative was death or a doubly-used heart, and if the required consents are obtained, I would see it as ethical. You’re still looking at a much greater rate of failure than usual, though.