An Ohio hospital transplanted a kidney into the wrong person – leaving the intended recipient still waiting for the life-saving surgery, officials said on Monday.
University Hospitals apologized for the medical mess in a statement provided to The Post and said it put two workers on leave as it investigates how the organ ended up inside of the wrong person’s body.
“We are dismayed that an error recently occurred resulting in one patient receiving a kidney intended for another,” the statement said.
The person who received the kidney was compatible with the donated organ and is recovering – but the other patient’s transplant surgery “has been delayed,” the statement said.
The mixed-up surgery took place July 2, a spokesman for the hospital system told The Post.
Officials have informed the United Network for Organ Sharing, which oversees transplants, and is reviewing the incident “to understand what led to the error and to ensure that such an event will never happen again,” the statement said.
“We have offered our sincerest apologies to these patients and their families,” the statement went on.
“We recognize they entrusted us with their care. The situation is entirely inconsistent with our commitment to helping patients return to health and live life to the fullest.”
The hospital system has done 95 kidney transplants this year and 194 in 2020, Cleveland.com reported citing data from the US Department of Health and Human Services Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.