USC University Hospital in Los Angeles has re-opened its kidney transplant system after a physician accidentally transplanted a kidney into the wrong patient on Jan. 29, according to a Los Angeles Times report.
The hospital has attributed the error to a flawed organ verification system. Cynthia Herrington, MD, medical director of USC Transplant Institute, says the hospital has developed an "iron-clad correction plan" to ensure the mistake never happens again.
The mistake prompted state and federal health investigations, which are ongoing.
The patient who received the kidney is doing well because the organ was compatible with her immune system. The patient who was supposed to receive the kidney is still on the USC waiting list.
Read the Los Angeles Times report on USC University Hospital.
Read more about patient safety:
- Anesthesiologists Increasingly Responsible for Wrong-Site Procedures
- Making Patient Safety Initiatives Profitable
The hospital has attributed the error to a flawed organ verification system. Cynthia Herrington, MD, medical director of USC Transplant Institute, says the hospital has developed an "iron-clad correction plan" to ensure the mistake never happens again.
The mistake prompted state and federal health investigations, which are ongoing.
The patient who received the kidney is doing well because the organ was compatible with her immune system. The patient who was supposed to receive the kidney is still on the USC waiting list.
Read the Los Angeles Times report on USC University Hospital.
Read more about patient safety:
- Anesthesiologists Increasingly Responsible for Wrong-Site Procedures
- Making Patient Safety Initiatives Profitable