A kidney was given to a NSW patient over a Queensland one for a range of reasons and can't solely be blamed on sterilisation problems at a Brisbane hospital, health officials say.
Surgery schedules are gradually resuming after chemical residue was found on sterilised surgical equipment at the Princess Alexandra Hospital last week.
The hospital was forced to cancel some operations from Thursday onwards, and 84 surgeries were rescheduled on Monday. The hospital is now implementing a staged plan to get things back to normal.
On Tuesday, The Courier-Mail reported that a Queensland patient missed out on a life-saving kidney transplant because of the equipment sterilisation problems.
It said the Queensland patient would have received a kidney that ended up going to a patient in NSW if the hospital hadn't been forced to cancel surgery.
It also cited a second case on the weekend where a Queensland patient had to fly to NSW for a kidney transplant because of the problems at the hospital.
But health officials say a complex range of factors determine where donor organs go, and those decisions are ultimately made by Donate Life, Australia's organ and tissue authority.
The most important deciding factor is finding the best match for donor organs. Other factors include staff and theatre availability, and the wellness of the recipient.
The Metro South Hospital and Health Service, which covers the hospital, says sterilisers are working again and staff are processing a backlog of equipment.
Emergency surgery is being prioritised at the hospital, with major trauma cases being handled with the help of teams from the Logan and QEII hospitals.
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