Man’s brain kept at hospital for almost two years

A CAMPAIGN group for families whose loved ones had organs retained without their knowledge is appalled that a major acute hospital kept a dead man’s brain for almost two years without informing his next-of-kin.

“We are just shocked that this practise appears to be continuing,” said Charlotte Yeates of Parents for Justice.

Midland Regional Hospital in Portlaoise, Co Laois, retained the organ for 20 months after the sudden death of Shane Rabbitte from Clara, Co Offaly, in February last year.

The man’s brain had been kept in a standard, sealed container in the autopsy room in the hospital mortuary.

It is believed that hospital staff made the discovery last week while cleaning the mortuary.

Midland Health Board, which has apologised to the dead man’s family for any distress caused, is reviewing its policies and procedures for the retention and storage of organs in the hospital.

An autopsy was carried out on the dead man and the Laois County coroner delivered his verdict on his death last January. Theorgan should have been disposed of immediately after the autopsy was completed unless there was a compelling reason to retain it. In any event, Mr Rabbitte’s next-of-kin should have been informed.

The health board said the consultant pathologist at the hospital had retained the organ as part of an ongoing clinical examination. It is understood, however, that work on the organ finished some time ago.

The Rabbitte family, believed to be seeking legal advice on the matter, will now be contacted by the hospital to see how they want the organ disposed of.

Ms Yeates said the campaign group had been assured that the majority of hospitals had procedures in place to keep families informed about post mortems and that if organs were to be retained they would be told about it.

“Obviously, not all the hospitals have done that, which is very sad after all this time,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Coombe Women’s Hospital in Dublin has apologised for an administrative error that resulted in parents ringing a confidential helpline and being asked for a personal identification number (PIN).

The helpline is for parents whose children’s pituitary glands were harvested and given to the pharmaceutical industry between November 1979 and March 1982.

The helpline is planned to open on Monday but an advertisement placed in the national newspapers yesterday erroneously stated that the line was open from Monday, October 4.