12 Dutch patients missed out on potential kidney transplant due to a software error

A mistake during a software update at Eurotransplant resulted in 12 Dutch patients missing the offer of a donated kidney. The European organization regulates the allocation of donor organs to patients in eight affiliated countries. The mistake occurred from July to October 2024, the health minister Fleur Agema reported on Monday in a letter to parliament.

The mistake was rectified when Eurotransplant became aware of it. An investigation proved that a possible 56 patients from seven countries were not offered a kidney when they should have been due to the mistake. There are 12 Dutch citizens among this group. Agema said that the incident is “a huge shame.”

The Dutch Transplant Foundation (NTS) notified Agema of the error at the end of January. Agema waited to announce this publicly until all the patients had been notified by their doctor. She thinks it is a “huge disappointment for the patients.”

An offer could have led to a kidney transplant, but that is not automatically the case. According to the minister, this concerns a group of patients who have many antibodies, which means that the chance of a suitable donor kidney is small. Two of the Dutch patients have already undergone a kidney transplant.

The NTS has reported the incident to the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate. They then concluded that the corrections that Eurotransplant has implemented are sufficient. The NTS will update the inspectorate on actions to prevent these type of incidents in the future.

Mariette Kraayvanger, who is a part of donations and transplants for the Dutch Kidney Foundation, said that the situation is “very bitter.” She added that two of the 12 people were able to get a new kidney.

According to Kraayvanger, kidney patients have to wait an average of two and a half years for a new organ. "But this also involved a group of patients with many antibodies. They wait much longer. It is very difficult to find a suitable organ for them."

The consequences of this cannot yet be estimated, but Kraayvanger wondered "when a new kidney will become available for these patients. That could take a long time, the question is whether it will arrive in time."

Patients need to undergo dialysis several times a week without a donated kidney. “This doesn’t improve your condition. It is surviving instead of living. And the longer you have to wait, the worse your condition gets. You have more possibilities to live a real life with a donated kidney,” Kraayvanger said.

In addition to The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Croatia, Luxemburg, Austria, and Slovenia are a part of Eurotransplant.