2 Suspended at U of Florida OPO in Probe of Organ Handling

Charles McCluskey, executive director of the LifeQuest Organ Recovery Services, and Dr. Jose Cardo were suspended after an internal review found that organs may have been transferred to a company with which an employee was involved, according to a university spokesperson.

Neither the employee nor the company were identified.

"The practices in question are limited to the use of donated organs that have been deemed unsuitable for transplantation," said Dr. Richard Howard, director of the University of Florida transplant program at Shands Hospital and medical director of the OPO. "We have no reason to be concerned that organs of transplant quality were denied to potential recipients."

Florida Gov. Jeb Bush announced that the state Agency for Health Care Administration, which licenses organ procurement organizations, also was beginning an investigation of LifeQuest.

"The agency was contacted by Shands HealthCare last night concerning questionable activities by LifeQuest, and to inform AHCA that they were conducting their own internal investigation. AHCA surveyors were mobilized immediately to determine what problems have occurred," the governor said.

Announcement of the LifeQuest probe comes only a day after the state Attorney General's Office said it was investigating Southeast Tissue Alliance Inc., a tissue bank also based in Gainesville, to determine if its staff has been completely upfront with clients about the use of donor tissue.

"The issues are totally unrelated," Shands spokesperson Wanda English said.

LifeQuest, one of five organ procurement organizations in Florida, is responsible for procuring kidneys, hearts, livers, lungs and pancreases from cadaver donors in north Florida. Over the years, it has had one of the highest organ procurement rates in the country.

When an organ that has been donated is deemed unsuitable for transplantation but appropriate for research, the OPO may send it to a university or other external organization for scientific use.

Spokesperson English said McCluskey and Cardo will remain on suspension while an investigation of the organ transplant program is conducted. The inquiry is expected to take four to six weeks.

Florida Department of Law Enforcement spokesman Al Dennis said the agency is conducting its own investigation of the accusations.

The University of Florida provides staffing and management for LifeQuest.