Taiwan hospital gives HIV-infected organs to transplant patients

Aug 30, 2011, 9:03 GMT

Taipei - A staff member's error caused a donor's HIV-infected organs to be transplanted into five patients, a Taiwan hospital said Tuesday.

The heart, liver, lungs and two kidneys were transplanted Wednesday, National Taiwan University Hospital spokeswoman Peng Tao-huang said.

A staff member had not confirmed the donor's test results before the transplants, the central Taipei hospital said.

'Our hospital deeply apologizes for this misunderstanding,' the hospital said in a statement. 'We have also apologized to the patients and their families as well as administered the most appropriate medications and care.'

It is not yet clear whether the treatment would allow the transplant patients to live, Peng said in a telephone interview. The families are 'of course very shocked,' she said.

The hospital ordered a review. Local health authorities would also investigate, media reports said.

The person involved is still on staff and was upset over the incident, Peng said.

'We will take responsibility for this through the end,' the statement said.

The 2,047-bed hospital saw more than 2.2 million patients last year. It opened in 1895 under Japanese colonial rule.