Wrong Patient Receives Kidney Transplant In Bizarre Ohio Hospital Mix Up

Ohio's University Hospitals (UH) in Cleveland may be subject to a federal review following a bizarre kidney transplant error, which saw a patient receiving a kidney intended for another person, authorities confirmed on Monday.

UH has since apologized for the mix-up and placed two caregivers on administrative leave for the blunder, while officials at the medical facility investigate the incident, according to the New York Daily News.

Fortunately, the patient who received the wrong kidney is reportedly responding well to the new organ and is expected to recover since the blood types happened to be compatible. However, the other patient, who was supposed to undergo surgery for that kidney, saw their transplant delayed due to the oversight.

The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, which operates under contract with the Department of Health and Human Services, is expected to scrutinize the transplant program of UH and review a member’s potential non-compliance with its guidelines. It manages the transplant system across the board.

The federal organ transplant network also moved to note that the organ mix-up is an “exceedingly rare” error, Cleveland reported.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will also take appropriate action following a review after it was made aware of the issue.

UH did not release further information on whether staff bypassed a process in the transplant program. It also remains unknown when the surgery took place after the hospital announced the error late Monday night.

“We have offered our sincerest apologies to these patients and their families,” hospital spokesman George Stamatis said in a statement, vowing to carefully review the matter to determine what led to the error and to ensure it never causes inconvenience to other patients again.

“We recognize they entrusted us with their care,” he continued. “The situation is entirely inconsistent with our commitment to helping patients return to health and live life to the fullest.”

In 2013, a Ohio kidney transplant procedure was canceled in Toledo after patient Sarah Fudacz, who needed a kidney, received the organ from her brother. A nurse from the hospital, however, mistakenly threw the organ away, News 5 Cleveland noted.

“I knew something had gone wrong as soon as I was being rolled out of surgery because I lifted my shirt and there was no incision,” Fudacz said during a 2013 interview.

“I just cried because I couldn’t believe that I was back where I started when I should’ve been healthy,” she lamented. “I should’ve been recovering.”

The hospital sacked the long-time nurse responsible for the error while the patient, who then had to endure months of painful dialysis, received a settlement amounting to $650,000.