Wrong patient gets kidney at USC
Kidney transplant program shut down
USC University Hospital shut down its kidney transplant program last month after a kidney was transplanted accidentally into the wrong patient. According to a spokesman for OneLegacy, the program that coordinates organ transplants in Los Angeles, the patient was unharmed because the kidney happened to be an acceptable match.
Dr. Goran Klintmalm, a veteran surgeon at Baylor Regional Transplant Institute in Dallas, said that a mistake like this was highly unlikely. “The safeguards are very substantial,” he said. “I can’t even imagine how this mistake could have happened.” Apparently the mix-up occurred after two kidneys, from separate donors, arrived at the transplant centre around the same time on Jan 29.
“Our packaging and documentation was accurate,” said Thomas Mone, the chief executive of OneLegacy. “Presumably this was human error” at the hospital. ~ Los Angeles Times, Feb 18
Dr. Goran Klintmalm, a veteran surgeon at Baylor Regional Transplant Institute in Dallas, said that a mistake like this was highly unlikely. “The safeguards are very substantial,” he said. “I can’t even imagine how this mistake could have happened.” Apparently the mix-up occurred after two kidneys, from separate donors, arrived at the transplant centre around the same time on Jan 29.
“Our packaging and documentation was accurate,” said Thomas Mone, the chief executive of OneLegacy. “Presumably this was human error” at the hospital. ~ Los Angeles Times, Feb 18
Wrong patient gets kidney at USC
Jared Yee
medical error
Latest posts by Mumbai (see all)
- Prescribe morning-after pills to young teenagers, say US pediatric group - November 30, 2012
- Bahrain sentences protest docs to prison - November 28, 2012
- Terry Pratchett assisted suicide documentary wins International Emmy - November 27, 2012
More Stories
What is that bright light at the end of the tunnel?
Reports of near-death experiences -- with tales of white light, visits from departed loved ones, hearing voices, seeing Heaven --...
Why is California lagging behind Canada in assisted dying?
In 2016 both Canada and California legalized assisted dying. But from then to 2021, 31,664 Canadians – 3.3% of all...
Canadian prisoners are choosing euthanasia but the public is none the wiser
Canada is the only country which regards euthanasia for people incarcerated in prisons as a human right. Nine prisoners have...
Is Mother’s Day more fun when there are three of them?
A New Zealand court has approved an adoption of a boy named Kaspar who has three mothers. The first is...
Portugal on the brink of legalizing euthanasia
For the fifth time, Portugal's parliament has approved a bill legalising euthanasia. It passed with a comfortable majority -- 129...
Spanish governments lock horns over euthanasia for the disabled
Canada is not the only country caught up in a debate about euthanasia for people with disabilities. In Spain, the...