Chicago Transplant Error Cases

The ability to transplant an organ from a healthy or deceased donor to a patient in need is truly a marvel of modern medicine. Organ transplants have saved countless lives since the first organ transplant (a cornea) over 100 years ago. Organ transplant have occurred in the United States since the 1950s. According to WebMD, the most common organs to be transplanted are kidneys, livers, hearts, lungs and even intestines.

Despite the fact that organ transplants occur regularly, these procedures remain incredibly serious and complicated. A number of preliminary steps must be taken before a transplant can even be considered for a particular patient. These steps include identifying a donor with organs that the recipient's body will not reject, as well as confirming that the recipient is healthy enough to undergo the procedure. Also, it must be confirmed that the donor organ is free from disease.

Types of Transplant Errors

Unfortunately, medical malpractice in the form of a transplant error is becoming more common, especially with the increased number of organ transplants in this country. Each Chicago medical malpractice lawyer at our firm is familiar with these cases.

Some examples of transplant errors include the following stories:

• In 2011, the USC University Hospital halted kidney transplants after its surgeons accidentally transplanted a kidney into the wrong patient. Fortunately, the patient who received the kidney was not harmed because the kidney happened to be an acceptable match.
• In 2009, surgeons at Duke University Hospital transplanted a heart and two lungs into a 17-year-old girl. Tragically, the organs had the wrong blood type, and the girl's body rejected them and her system shut down. Two weeks later, she died as a result.
• In a particularly troubling case, 91 different tissues and organs were donated by a 40-year-old man with a history of alcohol abuse who had tested negative for hepatitis C. Forty patients received transplants involving his organs and tissues. The transplants occurred during a 22-month period. Eight of the patients became infected with hepatitis C, and two of them died.
• Two Mississippi organ transplant recipients allegedly received kidneys from an unknown donor that were infected with a rare parasite. The parasite caused encephalitis, resulting in the death of one of the patients, and in the permanent blindness of the other patient.

Fighting for Fair Compensation in Chicago & Dyer

Transplant errors are extremely serious forms of malpractice. Since there is no "routine" type of transplant, any error committed during the transplant process will surely have significant health consequences. This is why transplant surgeons, and other transplant healthcare professionals, must exercise the highest degree of care in their work. While a successful transplant can be, and often is, lifesaving, a failed transplant can be life threatening.

If you or a loved one has suffered injuries as a result of a transplant error, you may be entitled to financial compensation for your loss. The Chicago personal injury attorneys at Pavich Law Group, P.C., have decades of combined experience in representing the victims of medical malpractice and medical negligence. Contact the Chicago medical malpractice lawyers at Pavich Law Group, P.C. today for a free case consultation.