A drug dosage error may also be at the root of the story of Domenico Caliendo's heart, which was removed and then mistakenly frozen with dry ice.
According to a report by inspectors from the Ministry of Health and the National Transplant Center, following inspections at the Monaldi Hospital in Naples and the hospital in Bolzano, an anesthesiologist at the South Tyrolean facility allegedly administered an incorrect amount of a drug that may have damaged the organ before removal.
The reconstruction is reported today by the newspaper La Repubblica.
The lawyer: "The autopsy will determine whether the heart was already compromised."
The Caliendo family's lawyer, Francesco Petruzzi, is taking stock.
"This aspect will be confirmed by the autopsy, through tissue tests," explains the lawyer, emphasizing however that any damage caused by the drug would not change the reconstruction of the responsibilities already emerged.
“In any case,” he states, “this does not change the framework of the responsibilities of the Monaldi team.”
Anomalies in the Neapolitan team's mission
Initial investigations have revealed further critical issues related to the management of the transplant and the work of the Neapolitan team.
According to lawyer Petruzzi, the Monaldi team left for the mission without a perfusionist, a key technical figure in organ preservation and management procedures.
Furthermore, Dr. Farina reportedly asked that the infusion of the fluid required for the procedure be performed by another person.
The interrupted infusion and the intervention of the Innsbruck surgeon
The reconstruction also reveals that it was Monaldi's doctor herself who indicated the quantity and timing of the infusion of the liquid.
The procedure, however, was not completed. The infusion was interrupted after a surgeon from Innsbruck reported abnormal swelling of the liver and heart.
The surgeon himself would have intervened directly to manage the situation and try to resolve the critical issue that emerged during the procedure.
Reading the article, I don't know how to say it but it seems to me that there is too much confusion, did the anesthesiologist give the wrong medicine? And the Monaldi team left without a perfusionist and without preparation, then the heart was frozen with dry ice that was too strong, the dosage was wrong, the autopsy will tell but many doubts and unclear responsibilities remain.
It seems to me to be a very complex situation, with too many confusing steps and people who have not explained the procedures well. The autopsy will have to clearly state whether the drug damaged the heart or whether it was instead a conservation error, but it does not appear that all the roles were respected.