Hospital investigates botched removal of child's wrong kidney
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Monday April 21 2008
A HOSPITAL has launched an inquiry into how surgeons mistakenly removed a child's healthy kidney during a routine operation.
The child, who was due to have a diseased kidney removed at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin, had the healthy organ taken out instead.
Mark Murphy of the Irish Kidney Association (IKA) said yesterday he was "shocked and horrified" at the revelations and he called on the hospital to make public the findings of the review.
The child is now left with just the diseased kidney and depending on how healthy this remaining organ is, may have to go on dialysis treatment.
Mr Murphy said he did not know the age of the child but this would be a factor in deciding if he or she should enter the pool of patients waiting for a transplant.
He said it was also unclear why the healthy kidney which was removed could not have been re-transplanted back into the child and the inquiry is likely to point to which stage the error was discovered.
There are around 12 children in the country on home dialysis and this is carried out with the support of the Dublin hospital.
It is possible to live healthily with just one kidney but dialysis may be needed several times a week to perform the functions of an organ which is not working properly.
The hospital confirmed that a "significant and regrettable" error occurred recently in relation to a patient.
The spokesperson said the family, who are understood to be very private and do not want to talk to the media, was immediately informed and given full support by hospital staff. The young patient continues to be in the care of the hospital.
The parents are "very happy to remain" at the hospital for follow up care.
Mr Murphy said the removal of a kidney is a routine operation which would be carried out by a general abdominal surgeon. Kidney transplants in children, which do not occur until they are over four years, are carried out by a team from Beaumont Hospital in Temple St Hospital.
"Children under the age of 18 who are in the pool for transplants are given priority if a suitable match occurs," he explained. He pointed out that when a kidney is removed with the intention of transplanting it to another patient it has a lot of blood vessels to allow it be used again.
"I would like to know when this error was discovered and why the healthy kidney was not transplanted back", he added.
Horror
"It is extremely rare for this kind of accident to happen -- I have never heard of it happening here although there have been cases abroad. It is a horror story and it is good that the hospital has owned up."
Mr Murphy also questioned if the pressures of a heavy workload on theatre staff in the hospital played a role in the tragic blunder.
The hospital insisted the event was "unprecedented" and it was now focused on supporting the family and establishing the facts of the case.
Fine Gael TD Dr James Reilly said he was shocked that yet another hospital error at this level had occurred and he questioned if over work and understaffing were a cause.
- Eilish O'Regan Health Correspondent
