A Houston hospital has suspended all medical procedures in its renowned heart transplant program following the deaths this year of at least three patients.
Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center announced Friday that the transplant program will be inactive for 14 days as administrators assess what’s gone awry with operations.
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The decision follows a series of joint reports by the Houston Chronicle and ProPublica revealing the departure of several top physicians and an unusually high number of patient deaths in recent years.
The program’s inactive status means it will turn away all donor hearts during the suspension.
Doug Lawson, CEO of Catholic Health Initiatives Texas Division, which owns St. Luke’s, says in a statement that “recent patient outcomes deserve an in-depth review before we move forward.”
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Information from: Houston Chronicle, http://www.houstonchronicle.com
