LIVER TRANSPLANTS

LIVERS

A hospital connect to the University of California in Irvine, turned down over 122 livers from August 2004 to July 2005 and only transplanted 12 livers in that period. Although it hasn't met the minimum standards for organ transplants since 2002, it still remains its accreditation from the United Network of Organ Sharing.

One of the requirements is that there should be a liver transplant surgeon available 24/7 and the hospital hasn't one a full time surgeon since July of 2004. They are getting one in 2006.

What started this investigation was a former patient, Elodie Irine, who was there because of large cyst on her liver and kidneys. The hospital received 38 livers and 57 kidneys for her between 1998 and 2002, and the hospital turned down all of them. Soon the offers stopped.

She finally received her transplant at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.