Officials at Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital say a 51-year-old patient underwent a successful kidney transplant on November 18th at their medical facility.
According to hospital officials, the organ was supposed to be delivered to a priority patient that actually had the same name and was around the same age.
Official say once becoming aware of the error, the hospital voluntarily reported it to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network and the New Jersey Department of Health.
Officials say the other person did receive a successful transplant about a week later.
Hospital officials said the following in a statement:
"We have a profound responsibility to people who literally place their lives in our hands. Mistakes of this magnitude are rare, and despite the unusual circumstances of similar patient identities, additional verification would have prevented this error.
This is an unprecedented event in our respected 40-plus-year transplant program. As an organization committed to safety and process, we immediately instituted additional measures and educational reinforcement to help ensure this does not happen again.
As an organization with a focus on being here for good, we remain steadfast in doing the right thing and caring for the affected patients and their families. Recognizing the human component of medicine, we know that taking accountability and talking about issues openly and honestly is how we learn and improve."