An urgent review into Queensland's Heart Valve Bank is expected to be completed by the end of the year, after three babies and a young adult were given tissue from a donor who had cancer.
The stunning mix-up was only picked up because of an audit being conducted into an apparently separate issue over mismanagement at the facility, with the Crime and Corruption Commission and Metro South Health both looking into the matter.
While admitting it was a terrible mistake, Queensland's chief health officer Jeannette Young said the tissue was only "potentially" contaminated.
Dr Young said all four families had been notified of the mistake and there would be ongoing monitoring of their health.
The donor had gliosarcoma, a malignant form of brain cancer, while all four patients - three babies under 12 months and a young adult - received heart valve tissue.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Queensland Health has conducted a preliminary review, but the independent review will now be conducted to find out how the mistake happened.
The health department could not rule out the possibility that other patients had been given contaminated tissue, although Dr Young again stressed it was "very unlikely".
She also said it was unlikely any other tissue banks had similar issues, but said they would wait for the findings of the independent review before making any decisions about a broader audit of Queensland's organ donation system.
