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Off Topic Forums => Off Topic Forum => Topic started by: Tucsonwoody on February 20, 2007, 10:13:25 pm

Title: Three Italian Patients Receive HIV-Positive Organs by Accident
Post by: Tucsonwoody on February 20, 2007, 10:13:25 pm

Wow - I had hoped this kinda thing couldn't happen anymore....just think of how hopeful these people must of been to finally be getting a transplanst and then for this to happen.  I hope they will be okay.

Full article here: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,253161,00.html

ROME —  Three patients at hospitals in Tuscany were mistakenly given organs from an HIV-positive donor, raising serious concerns about transplant procedures in Italy.

A 41-year-old woman's kidneys and liver were taken after she died of a brain hemorrhage at Florence's Careggi hospital and were implanted due "to a tragic human error," the hospital said in a statement Monday. The director of the regional transplants agency said the patients' chances of infection are high.

The HIV test on the organs had come back positive, but "unfortunately the expert who did the report wrote down 'negative' for all the tests, including this one," said Careggi director Mauro Marabini.The three patients have been told of the mistake and will undergo tests to determine if they have been infected with the virus that causes AIDS. The three were receiving anti-retroviral drugs.

Title: Re: Three Italian Patients Receive HIV-Positive Organs by Accident
Post by: RapidRod on February 20, 2007, 10:33:49 pm

I believe that. How many times a year are instruments or gauze sponges left in someone and then they have to go back in and remove them? Or operating on someone for the wrong thing or amputating the wrong limb?
They do make mistakes.

Title: Re: Three Italian Patients Receive HIV-Positive Organs by Accident
Post by: Queen Tokelove on February 21, 2007, 12:00:34 am

Can you say LAWSUIT boys and girls? I knew you could!!!

Title: Re: Three Italian Patients Receive HIV-Positive Organs by Accident
Post by: RapidRod on February 21, 2007, 12:21:18 am

How much is it worth to loose the wrong leg, then to have them go back and remove the correct one? I don't think you could get enough money for those kind of mistakes. All in all out of all the surgeries in just the US, not those many mistakes are made. One is to many, but that is somethings that just happens. All jobs have their OOOPS moments. It's just a little more noticeable in some. (maybe that should be changed to, a lot more noticeable.)

Title: Re: Three Italian Patients Receive HIV-Positive Organs by Accident
Post by: 411 on February 21, 2007, 03:56:48 am

Transplant, immune suppressing medication and antiretroviral drugs. What a screw up to wake up to.

Title: Re: Three Italian Patients Receive HIV-Positive Organs by Accident
Post by: Queen Tokelove on February 21, 2007, 04:16:00 pm

HotRod~~

I agree with that no amount of money is worth the damage that has been caused but it surely can't hurt. And I'm sure they could use the money to do whatever...It just makes me wonder how something like that could happen?

Title: Re: Three Italian Patients Receive HIV-Positive Organs by Accident
Post by: RapidRod on February 21, 2007, 08:21:58 pm

There has been this topic on the Discovery Health Channel just last week. They said it happens 1 time for every 52,000 surgeries.

Title: Re: Three Italian Patients Receive HIV-Positive Organs by Accident
Post by: aupointillimite on February 21, 2007, 08:26:06 pm

Before I was diagnosed, I had the "organ donor" option selected on my driver's license.  It's still there.

I am now reminded as to why I need to get that removed when I update it in a few months.