Camden: A South Jersey hospital admitted Tuesday that it recently performed a kidney transplant on the wrong patient.
The mixup occurred at Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden on Nov. 18 when a 51-year-old patient on a transplant list underwent a kidney transplant, the hospital said in a statement.
The next day, a hospital staffer discovered the organ went to the wrong patient. It should have been implanted into another transplant patient with the same name and was a “similar age,” the hospital said.
The 51-year-old patient who received the transplant was lower on a list maintained by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the hospital’s statement said.
Virtua said it reported the mistake the to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Networkand the New Jersey Department of Health, and began investigating to make sure all “safety measures were validated” and checks were made before any other transplants were performed.
The hospital then notified the two patients, and thankfully, the person who was given the transplant out of order, the 51-year-old, was indeed a match and was doing well on Tuesday, Virtua reported.
On Sunday, the person who was originally supposed to receive the transplant underwent a successful surgery and was also doing well, according to the statement.
Virtua called the mixup an “unprecedented event in our respected 40-plus-year transplant program.”
“We have a profound responsibility to people who literally place their lives in our hands,” the hospital’s statement said. “Mistakes of this magnitude are rare, and despite the unusual circumstances of similar patient identities, additional verification would have prevented this error.”
“As an organization committed to safety and process, we immediately instituted additional measures and educational reinforcement to help ensure this does not happen again,” the hospital added.
Credit: NJ.com
Wonderful
Hospital then says, that will be $300k for our surgery
Wow only in Camden
That’s a nice lawsuit
Pete Zito ????
Now let’s see what a kidney and some emotional trauma rings up to…????
Richard Nelson they both ended up getting a kidney. The patient that got the mixed up kidney actually had a blessing as she was lower down and the transfer list and could have died waiting for one. I seriously hope she does not sue. The one it was meant for was luckily located a replacement and also had a successful transplant, so it would be a shame if she sued. I can’t imagine I would be anything but grateful for being given such a precious gift and taking additional resources from the hospital over a petty suit would be a total slap in the face to the organ donors.
So in reading the story, the headline is very misleading. 2 people with the same name were on the kidney transplant list. The kidney was matched for person 1 but was given to person 2. Sound more like it was whoever is in charge of the transplants list’s fault vs the hospital. Thankfully they both got kidneys and are doing fine.
Suzie Fimiani exactly I was going to say same thing about headline it’s not like they gave a kidney to someone who was there for leg surgery or something else…. it was a mix up on a donor/recipient list
Kristen wow! I went in for MRI and now I’ve got 3 kidneys!! ????????
Skye Marie Williams surprised it wasnt soch
Christina Trotter or community medical center!
So sad that they screwed up, kidneys are hard to come by for transplant and you can only do this surgery a few times. This could be a death sentence for the one waiting. They might never see another one.
Daniella Lund they both got new kidneys
Have no idea how this happens as you always confirm a patient with at least 2 identifiers.
I guess it could have been worse, it could have been a Gender reassignment procedure. And folks complain about CMC
Jay Jensen
Sounds like for some reason this was meant to be! Maybe the person lower on the list, may not have ever made it to the top of the list without this mix up ???? and in the end both received kidneys…happy ending!
They were next to each other on the list. Not further down. So it was literally a leap frog Which is very lucky for them because if the person next didnt get and died because someone further down accidentally got it. That would bust their malpractice insurance
Kelly Halligan Omggggg Kel like I always said………. leave me dead in the streets before you take me to Newark Beth, Cooper university or Lourdes… anybody can be a nurse or doctor these days. We saw first hand the incompetence this does not surprise me lol
Amanda Smith hahahahaha I was in Newark yesterday and thought of that conversation I’m cracking up!!!
Kelly Halligan Bitch you’re home and didn’t tell me!?!?? Lol
I’m glad both are doing well. This ended up being a blessing for the one farther down the list. I can’t help but think someone was paid off.
Thank God they both got transplants and are doing well
Richard Frey can you friggin imagine!?!
Jenn Frey I can only hope. I only have the cardiac portion of the prerequisites to hopefully be put on the list . Fingers crossed ????
Richard Frey ????????
Karen Walsh Burns
All I can say is wtf
I am so confused by this. Even if the names were the same there is a huge protocol list.. I’m not sure how they could possibly have gotten through all the checkpoints without catching it. Guessing it was an unorganized rush job. Lucky both pts received and are well. Shit show
Joann Heim
Christopher Heim I saw this Thx