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Family of kidney death patients push for recommended changes

Families of two transplant patients who died after being given kidneys infected with rare parasitic worms have urged the health board to make changes. Robert Stuart and Darren Hughes both died from a parasite known as halicephalobus, which lives in soil and is often found in horses. An inquest ruled that the decision to use the kidneys was correct.

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Robert Stuart's family 'left completely devastated'

Robert Stuart, 67, from Cardiff died after receiving a kidney transplant at the University Hospital of South Wales. Credit: Family/Irwin Mitchell

The widow of Robert Stuart, who died after receiving a kidney transplant infected with parasitic worms, has spoken of his family's grief and urged patients waiting for organs to ask for more information.

Our family has been left completely devastated by Jim’s death and we are still struggling to come to terms with what has happened especially as we were hoping that the kidney transplant was going to give him a new lease of life.

We want to highlight that every patient who is waiting for organs on the transplant list that they have the right to turn down an organ if they are concerned about the risks. We also feel it is important to say that every patient and family have the right to question the surgeon’s opinion and ask for more information – we feel that we weren’t given the opportunity to make an informed decision as we were not given any information. If we had been given a chance to consider the options about the surgery the outcome would have been entirely different.

– Judith Stuart, Robert's widow

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