- Robert Stuart and Darren Hughes both died after having transplant surgery
- But the kidneys were infected with deadly parasitic wormÂ
- Donor was a ‘homeless’ alcoholic who had cirrhosis of the liver
- Inquest heard other hospitals had rejected the organs because they were considered ‘unfit for transplant’ – but relatives were only told after deaths
- Today it emerged one surgeon alone made the decision to use the kidneys
- Argiris Asderakis said he did not know the kidneys were infected
- Said not knowing exact cause of death of a donor was ‘not uncommon’Â
- Added he had explained the small risk of brain infection to patients before getting their consent for the transplant operation to go aheadÂ
Anna Hodgekiss for MailOnline
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Surgeon Argiris Asderakis told an inquest he alone made the decision to use infected kidneys for transplants which killed two fathers
A surgeon told today how he alone made the decision to use infected kidneys from a rough-sleeping alcoholic with meningitis for transplants which killed two fathers.
Consultant Argiris Asderakis decided on his own judgement to accept the deadly kidneys – despite knowing they had been rejected by other hospitals across Britain due to the donor’s background – and that the cause of the donor’s death was a mystery.
Father-of-six Darren Hughes, 42, and new grandfather Robert ‘Jim’ Stuart, 67, were kept in the dark by doctors at a Welsh NHS hospital about the lifestyle of their donor.
Consultant surgeon Mr Asderakis, 51, admitted he took a calculated risk in accepting the kidneys of the 39-year-old alcoholic who died from meningitis.
The inquest heard Mr Hughes and Mr Stuart died within three weeks of being given the kidneys infected with a parasitic worm.
Experienced transplant surgeon Mr Asderakis told their inquest there was no way he could have known the kidneys were infected with the extremely rare worm – and led to the first recorded human to human transmission in history.
He said: ‘I found out after their deaths. I cannot say what I felt when I discovered there was an infection.
‘Not just me, but the whole unit are distraught about that and we are trying to learn lessons. Nobody could have predicted it.’
Mr Asderakis, a transplant surgeon for 14 years at University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, said not knowing the exact cause of death of a transplant donor was ‘not uncommon’.
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The inquest heard that in the last 10 years there have been 159 transplants carried out with the organs of someone who died from meningitis or encephalitis of an unknown cause.
Mr Asderakis said: ‘Other surgeons in similar circumstance have taken the same decision on the balance of risk and the outcomes for these are at least as good as patients who don’t come under theses risks [of accepting organs where a cause of death is unknown].
‘Many patients in the country have benefited from donors like that. The decision to transplant is always a risk – it is never clear cut.’
Father-of-six Darren Hughes, 42(left), and new grandfather Robert ‘Jim’ Stuart, 67 (right), were kept in the dark by doctors at a Welsh NHS hospital about the lifestyle of their donor, an inquest heard
The family of Robert ‘Jim’ Stuart arriving at the inquest. Mr Asderakis today said he decided the risk was low of the brain infection being transmitted during the transplant
Mr Asderakis said he decided the risk was low of the brain infection being transmitted during the transplant.
He told the inquest he had explained the small risk of brain infection to Mr Hughes and Mr Stuart before getting their consent for the transplant operation to go ahead.
When he said this the families of both men shook their heads.
Mr Asderakis said transplant operations using ‘high risk’ organs occur every day across the country and it was impossible to eliminate risk.
He said: ‘If you exclude all high risk donors then we will stop 11 per cent of donors in this country – that is 1,500 transplants.’
Mr Hughes and Mr Stuart were both on the donor waiting list and were telephoned in the early hours of November 30 last year and told they had found a ‘good match’ and would receive a transplant.
The transplant operations were carried out at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff
But the kidneys from the donor in the Manchester area – who was known to have slept rough and drank 11 times the weekly recommended alcohol level – had been rejected by hospitals from Edinburgh to Birmingham.
The two NHS patients both died within weeks of undergoing their kidney transplants from the same parasitic worm that had infected the donor.
Doctors were not aware the donor had the worm – known as Halicephalobus which lives in soil and is found in horses – when the transplant operations were carried out.
The parasite lays eggs in the liver and kidneys and then travels to the brain where it stops the blood supply and causes bleeding.
The inquest in Cardiff has now been adjourned until December.Â
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