Statement by Carolina Donor Services Regarding Jésica Santillán

Early on Friday, February 7, 2003, the New England Organ Bank (NEOB), an organ procurement organization (OPO) based in Massachusetts, called Carolina Donor Services (CDS), the organ procurement organization that serves 79 counties of North Carolina and Pittsylvania County, Virgina, with an organ offer.

In this situation, NEOB is considered the ''Host'' OPO because the organs came from their local donor, and CDS' role was to relay information between NEOB and the North Carolina transplant center, which in this case, was Duke University Medical Center (DUMC).

NEOB had run a list of patients waiting for transplants using the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) national wait list database, and Duke University Medical Center (DUMC) had two patients who printed on the match run list.

Carolina Donor Services received the donor's medical and lab information, including the blood type, from NEOB. Carolina Donor Services conveyed all the donor information, including blood type, to Duke transplant surgeons, where the two blood type A positive listed patients were waiting for transplants.

After Duke transplant surgeons declined for both of these patients, one of the Duke surgeons requested that CDS convey to NEOB that they desired the heart/lungs for a third patient.

CDS informed NEOB of the Duke surgeon's request for the third patient. Duke surgeons transplanted the organs into the third patient on February 7th.

Carolina Donor Services was informed that Duke suspected an incompatible blood match only after the transplant took place.

We at Carolina Donor Services continue to hope that a new donor heart and lungs become available for the patient. We are keeping the patient and her family in our thoughts and prayers.

Other Sources: Carolina Donor Services