Donor heart was wrong blood type
Hospitals chief apologises after surgeons realised only halfway through operation organ wasn't compatible with patient's blood type
A hospitals chief apologised yesterday for a medical blunder in which a woman transplant patient was left fighting for her life after being given a heart that did not match her blood type.
The rare mistake was realised halfway through the emergency operation when a nurse, who was not in the operating theatre, realised that the donor's AB blood type was not compatible with the recipient's type A, meaning it could result in a fatal rejection.
The blunder at Queen Mary Hospital on Tuesday was "a result of human errors", Hong Kong West cluster chief executive Dr Luk Che-chung said, as he apologised to the patient and the families involved. "We will set up an independent committee to find those who are responsible."
The 58-year-old patient was in stable condition under intensive care last night but might develop a serious rejection at a later stage and require another transplant, Luk said.
At least two senior doctors failed to identify the mismatch of the blood type before the surgery. They said they were confused by the fact that a donor with blood type A would be compatible with a recipient with blood type AB - but not vice versa.
An urgent call to the operating theatre after the mistake was noticed came too late.
Luk said no medical staff would be suspended at this stage and the hospital would continue its transplant service while awaiting a report, due in two months.
