Volume 1, Issue 12                    The Traut Firm eNewsletter              December 2005            www.trautfirm.com

UCI MEDICAL CENTER LIVER TRANSPLANT PROGRAM SCANDAL

The Traut Firm is representing families of patients who have died while enrolled in the UCI Medical Center Liver Transplant Program. Between 30 to 32 people in the UCI Medical Center Liver Transplant Program have died while waiting for liver transplants during several years that the understaffed UCI Medical Center was turning down organs. The UCI Medical Center received 122 liver offers between August, 2004 and July, 2005, but transplanted only 12.

The UCI Medical Center Liver Transplant Program failed to meet minimum annual standards of the federal government every year since 2002. The UCI Medical Center Liver Transplant Program has not had a full-time liver transplant surgeon since July, 2004, despite federal standards which requires one to be constantly available.

The UCI Medical Center Liver Transplant Program was shut down after Medicare officials withdrew the center’s certification in November of this year. The survival rate of liver recipients at the UCI Medical Center Liver Transplant Program was 69%, the lowest in California. In a particular case being handled by The Traut Firm, a patient, Roberto Vasquez, died on May 31, 2005. The UCI Medical Center Liver Transplant Program doctors had told him many times that he was high on the priority list to receive a transplant and that shortly before his death, he was at the top of the list.

During the last month of Mr. Vasquez’ life, the UCI Medical Center Liver Transplant Program rejected 8 livers, 3 of them because there was no surgeon available, according to records of the United Network of Organ Sharing. The records show that the UCI Medical Center Liver Transplant Program did not accept any proffered livers for transplants during that month.

If your family member was victimized by the deficiencies in the UCI Medical Center Liver Transplant Program, please contact James Traut at the Traut Firm to discuss your rights.

The Traut Firm
"When You Mean Business"