One nurse resigned and another was fired for their role in an incident where a kidney destined for transplant was disposed in medical waste instead.
The Toledo (Ohio) Medical Center released disciplinary records from the Aug. 10 incident, according to the Toledo Blade. Both a part-time nurse, who actually disposed of the kidney in the medical waste, and a 30-year employee are no longer with the medical center, the newspaper reported.
The veteran nurse, Melanie Lemay, relieved the part-time nurse, Judith Moore during a break in the operation where a brother was giving a kidney to his ailing sister. During that switch, the kidney was placed in an apparatus to keep the organ cool.
When Moore returned, Lemay did not tell her that the kidney had been moved, according to the newspaper. Moore thought only medical waste was in the machine, and disposed of it, with the kidney inside. Lemay was fired while Moore resigned, the newspaper reported.
The transplant surgeon, Dr. Michael Rees, lost his director's title over the incident, the newspaper reported.
Jeremy Carroll writes for Waste and Recycling News, a sister publication of Workforce Management. To comment, email editors@workforce.com.
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