Toddler with faulty transplant that shocked Italy dies

2026-02-21 - 16:13

Two-year-old Domenico had been on life support for weeks at a hospital in Naples in a case that has made headlines in Italy. (AFP pic) ROME: An Italian toddler who received a faulty heart transplant died today, in a case that has caused outrage in Italy over alleged medical malpractice. The two-year-old had received a transplant in December, reportedly with a heart that was damaged during transit by coming into direct contact with dry ice. Prosecutors are investigating six medical staff. “It’s over. Domenico’s gone,” the two-year-old’s mother Patrizia Mercolino told Italian media. She said a foundation would be opened in his name. Her son had been on life support for weeks at a hospital in Naples in a case that has made headlines in Italy. The donor heart was reportedly transported from Bolzano in northern Italy to Naples – 800km away – in an unsuitable container without a thermometer that could have signalled the excessively low temperature. Health minister Orazio Schillaci said in a statement quoted by Italian media that Domenico’s case had “moved the whole of Italy”. Schillaci earlier spoke of his concern that organ donations could decrease as a result of the case, and called for “clarity” to ensure continued trust in the country’s medical services.