5 Patients Transplanted with HIV-infected organs in Taiwan

5 Patients Transplanted with HIV-infected organs in Taiwan

Taipei, Taiwan — One of the best hospitals in Taiwan has mistakenly and unintentionally transplanted HIV-infected organs to 5 different patients after the staffer of the hospital misheard the test results of the donor through the telephone. National Taiwan University Hospital has admitted Monday the biggest setback that hit the hospital’s credibility and reputation.

The 5 patients are currently undergoing anti-AIDS drugs, according to an official of the hospital. The unnamed official didn’t give further comments as she is not authorized to speak in behalf of the hospital. The test result should have been double-checked by the staffer as part of the hospital’s standard operating procedures as the information has only been relayed through the telephone. He misheard the result of the medical test given in the English word as “reactive” to be as “non-reactive”.

Taiwan’s Health Department will make further investigations of the blunder made by the hospital before deciding the extent of the sanctions and penalties it will give the said hospital. If there is negligence on the part of the NTUH, the transplant programs of the hospital will be suspended up to a year in addition to paying huge amount of fines.

The donor of the organ was a 37 year old man who donated his heart, lungs, liver and 2 kidneys after falling into comatose on August 24. The organ transplant was conducted the same day where the heart transplant was conducted in another hospital. The mother of the donor was terrified by the incident and could not believe his son was infected by HIV. The medical teams who conducted the transplant were also worried so much that they too might have contacted HIV through accident needle and cuts exposure throughout the whole medical procedures conducted.

Posted by James Fried on Tuesday August 30 2011, 4:39 AM EST. Ref: CNN. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0