US clinic halts liver transplants

A hospital in California has suspended its liver transplant programme, saying doctors arranged an operation for a Saudi who was low on a priorities list.

Los Angeles' St Vincent Medical Center said the fee paid for the operation was about 30% higher than the usual charge.

The hospital contends proper procedures were not followed, and the liver should have gone to a higher-priority patient.

It says the incident was discovered last month and the doctors involved are no longer with the programme.

However hospital spokeswoman Aimee Corso told the BBC News website that the director and assistant director of the programme remained on the staff.

She said the Saudi embassy in Washington paid $339,000 for the operation, which took place in September 2003.

Although the fee was high, she said it was not unusual for a foreign patient to arrange payment through his embassy.

'Falsified data'

The Saudi national was 52nd on a transplant list that covers most of southern California.

"This event appears to involve an individual who received a liver that was designated for transplantation in another patient," Gus Valdespino, president of St Vincent Medical Center, said in a statement.

He added that any breach of integrity was "unacceptable" and that an investigation was under way.

Mr Valdespino said falsified data had been initially submitted to conceal the incident, which was recently discovered during an audit.

A lawyer representing the assistant director told the BBC news website her client had done nothing wrong.

Ms Corso said the decision to suspend the programme was aimed at protecting patients.

She said the hospital only had one remaining liver specialist, and needed to find more surgeons.