.Toledo, Ohio: In 2012 a serious medical error at the University of Toledo Medical Center (UTMC) led to a donated kidney being accidentally thrown away before it could be transplanted into a patient who needed it. The incident, involving a living donor kidney meant for the donor’s sister, triggered internal action at the hospital, legal battles, and renewed attention on safety protocols in transplant operating rooms.
The transplant was supposed to be a life changing moment for a woman suffering from kidney failure. Her brother had agreed to donate one of his kidneys to help her avoid years of waiting on the national transplant list.
But during the procedure, the kidney was mistakenly discarded with medical waste. Reports said the organ had been placed in a cooling container used during surgery. A nurse who was not aware the kidney was inside later disposed of the container’s contents, and the kidney was lost.
By the time staff realized what had happened and searched for the organ, it was too late to use it for transplant.
The reporting around the case pointed to breakdowns in communication and handoff procedures during the surgery. One nurse left for a break, and another nurse took over. The second nurse did not realize the kidney was stored in the cooling container and treated it as waste.
The mistake ruined the kidney, meaning the intended recipient did not receive the transplant that day despite having a healthy organ available.
After the incident, UTMC temporarily suspended its living donor kidney transplant program while it reviewed what happened.
The hospital also took personnel actions as the situation unfolded. Reports said the nurse blamed for discarding the kidney resigned. Other staff members involved in the operating room were also affected as the hospital investigated the event.
The case quickly drew attention because of how rare and preventable such an error is considered in transplant medicine.
The case also highlighted a difficult reality for patients. Even after such a mistake, the recipient still had to rely on the transplant system and wait for another suitable organ.
The incident led to legal action connected to the harm caused by the lost kidney.
The family pursued a medical malpractice claim tied to the failure to complete the transplant and the suffering that followed. Court records show the case moved through the legal process and later reached a settlement that required court approval.
A separate legal dispute also emerged from inside the hospital. Melanie LeMay, a nurse who was present during the botched transplant, filed a lawsuit after UTMC terminated her employment. She argued that she was unfairly blamed and that the hospital relied on policies that were not in place at the time of the incident.
Her lawsuit included claims related to wrongful termination and reputational harm.
(Rh/ARC)