Operations Case

What can we draw from this case? First and foremost, it appears that there was miscommunication as

to the blood type of the patient.While the article states that the surgical team that picked up the transplant

had the correct information, a type-A blood donor's organs were harvested. Although organ transplants

are conducted every day, they are still very risky procedures; however, their risks pale when

compared with the alternative, which in this case was doing nothing and inviting certain death for the

patient. Patients who have transplants are prone to rejection of the organ(s) and infections related to the

surgery, as well as other medical complications that may be exacerbated by the surgery. Using organs of

the wrong blood type simply adds to the already mountains of potential complications.

So why was there a miscommunication? Why was it not clear to all parties involved that these organs

could not be used? Duke University later reported that the lead surgeon failed to confirm that the organs

were of the right blood type (Stein, 2003).While the surgeon was ultimately the person responsible, there

were many team members in the chain that handled this case who could have made this information

available to the appropriate person. The surgeon was not the only person in the operating room and not

the only person to come in contact with the information about these organs.

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