Report due on how wrong kidney was removed from child

EXPERTS from one of the world’s leading children’s hospitals have completed their investigation into how the wrong kidney was removed from a child at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, in Dublin earlier this year.

The external review by consultants from Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital in London followed the internal review by Crumlin Hospital at the end of April.

Crumlin Hospital confirmed yesterday that it expected to receive the external report by the end of next week.

The hospital said details of the report would be shared with the child’s family and the board of the directors would consider its content.

It is expected that key elements of the report will be released by the hospital when the board completes its deliberations.

The hospital, however, was unable to say how long it would take the board to consider the report and decide on the content to be published.

The family have again appealed through the hospital for privacy so they can protect their child, who has been left with just one problematic kidney.

The child, who was due to have a diseased kidney removed at the hospital, had the healthy organ removed instead.

Crumlin Hospital, which described the error as “significant and regrettable” is refusing to comment on the health of the child. It is understood the family have allowed the child to remain a patient at the hospital for follow-up care.

When the error came to light last April the hospital described it as an unprecedented event.

“The focus of our response is to support the family, establish the facts and ensure the ongoing safety of all the children we serve at the hospital,” said the hospital.

Chief executive of the Irish Kidney Association, Mark Murphy, said it was not clear whether the diseased kidney would be able to cope without the need for dialysis. The decision to remove the diseased kidney might have been to protect the good one, he said. He believed that the diseased kidney might be able to cope for a while without the need for dialysis.

He wanted to know when the error was discovered and why the healthy kidney was not transplanted back.

“It is a huge mistake but it could have been the result of a simple error. It has happened before but not in Ireland,” said Mr Murphy.

“It possibly reflects a very pressurised health system and, obviously people under pressure are more liable to make mistakes,” he said.