USC Hospital restarts transplant program after kidney mistake

LOS ANGELES

The hospital temporarily shut down the program voluntarily after a doctor put the wrong kidney into a patient in January.

The patient survived the error because the kidney was a close enough match and the donor's blood type was O, which is universally accepted.

The potentially deadly mistake was apparently a human error that occurred in the operating room.

Officials say they have implemented a new procedure and trained staff so the mistake won't happen again.

The federal oversight agency United Network for Organ Sharing conducted a review at the hospital in February.

The federally contracted private agency oversees transplant medicine in the United States. Spokesman Joel Newman said the agency does not release reviews if no problems are found.

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