What are Common Malpractice Cases in Organ Transplant Surgery?

As a surgeon, organ transplants are one of the most common major surgeries performed in order to improve a person’s quality of life. On average, there are over 42,000 organ transplants performed each year in the United States. With today’s advances in medicine, organ transplant surgery has become more commonplace, but these procedures are not without risks for surgical errors.

As Missouri surgical error lawyers, we want to inform you about the common medical malpractice cases associated with the organ transplant process. If you or a loved one has been impacted by a surgical error during transplant surgery, consult with an attorney right away to explore your options.

What is the organ transplant process? 

An organ transplant surgery is the process of surgically removing an organ or portion of tissue from one person, also known as a donor, and placing it into the recipient’s body. The most common transplant surgeries include the heart, liver, kidneys, lungs, intestines and pancreas. Transplants may come from a willing living donor or from a donor who has chosen to donate their viable organs and/or tissues, following their death.

How does transplant surgery malpractice happen? 

An organ transplant surgery is a time-consuming, intricate surgical procedure that requires many steps to ensure proper organ function down the line. Doctors and transplant teams not only have to work quickly with the viable organ, but they must also ensure that it is healthy, properly placed and cooperating with the new body.

Every human has the capability to make a mistake — regardless of the training they may have received. Doctors must exercise proper duty of care in every stage of the organ transplant process to ensure the safety of their patients, validity of the transplanted organ and be diligent in their surgical protocols.

What are examples of organ transplant surgery malpractice? 

All transplant physicians must follow strict protocols in order to make sure organ transplant processes go as planned for the recipient, and in the case of a live donation, the donor. If a physician does not follow proper protocols, these risks may manifest and lead to organ transplant malpractice.

Common examples of organ transplant surgery malpractice cases include:

• Failure to properly test the transplanted organ for serious diseases;
• Failure to ensure recipients and donors have congruent blood types;
• Failure to get legal permission from next of kin or the donor themselves;
• Improper packing of donor organ;
• Removing the wrong organ from the patient or donor;
• Injuring another organ or other part of the body during transplant surgery;
• Anesthesia errors; or
• Postoperative care errors.

As surgical error lawyers, we see these examples often in standard surgical procedures. However, there is a double layer of impact in transplant surgeries since it affects not just the recipient, but also the donor and their loved ones.

Have you been impacted by transplant surgery malpractice?

Receiving a transplant after being on the waitlist is often an emotional and joyous experience. However, if organ transplant malpractice occurs, it can easily be tainted with disappointment, fear and uncertainty.

As surgical error lawyers, we understand how devastating transplant malpractice is when you have waited so long for a match. Whether you were impacted as a donor or a recipient, we are here to help guide you through the filing process and help you navigate your path to recovery. Contact the attorneys at Zevan Davidson Roman for a free consultation on transplant malpractice or another medical malpractice case today.