Hospital accidentally performs kidney transplant on wrong patient

The kidney was destined for another patient of the same name and similar age

Patients who are highly likely to have otherwise died are to be used in human trials (Getty)

A hospital has admitted to accidentally transplanting a kidney into the wrong patient in New Jersey.

The mix-up occurred last week between two patients with the same name and around the same age, reported CBS Philly.

Officials at the Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden, New Jersey, said the 51-year old organ recipient was in need of a kidney transplant and had a successful surgery.

But the day after the surgery, a staff member discovered the recipient was actually lower on the priority list based on the matching organ donor list.

Reginald Blaber, executive vice president and chief clinical of Virtua Health, said the incident was “unprecedented” and measures have been taken to ensure this does not happen again.

He added that mistakes of this “magnitude” are “rare” and admitted that “additional verification would have prevented this error”.

The patient who was supposed to receive the errant kidney has received an apology from the hospital’s medical director and transplant coordinator.

The patient successfully received a new kidney on Sunday, said the hospital.