A two-year-old Italian boy has died weeks after receiving a heart damaged in transit, sparking a medical malpractice probe and national outrage.
ROME: An Italian toddler who received a heart transplant with an organ damaged by dry ice during transport has died. The two-year-old boy, Domenico, passed away on Saturday after weeks on life support at a Naples hospital.
His death concludes a case that has caused national outrage and prompted a criminal investigation. Prosecutors are investigating six medical staff members over the alleged malpractice.
The donor heart was transported approximately 800 kilometres from Bolzano to Naples in an unsuitable container. Reports indicate the container lacked a thermometer to warn of excessively low temperatures, allowing the organ to come into direct contact with dry ice.
“It’s over. Domenico’s gone,” the boy’s mother, Patrizia Mercolino, told Italian media. She added that a foundation would be opened in his name.
Health Minister Orazio Schillaci said the case had “moved the whole of Italy”. He had previously expressed concern that the scandal could decrease organ donations and called for “clarity” to maintain public trust in medical services.
