The hospital has apologised for the error.

A New Jersey hospital says a kidney intended for one patient was mistakenly transplanted into another with the same name who was farther down the priority list. The mistaken operation took place on 18 November in Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden, southwest New Jersey. Officials discovered the mistake the day after the operation and said the mistake was made because both patients had the same name and were of a similar age. Both patients were on the transplant list but one was lower on the list than the other and hence should not have been given priority for the kidney. "Mistakes of this magnitude are rare," Reginald Blaber, executive vice president and chief clinical officer at Virtua Health, said in the statement to CNN. "And despite the unusual circumstances of similar patient identities, additional verification would have prevented this error." "We have a profound responsibility to people who literally place their lives in our hands," he said. "This is an unprecedented event in our respected 40-plus-year transplant program." Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden has said that both patients have now received transplants and both are doing well. The names of the patients have not been released.