Questions raised after five infections, two deaths among heart surgery patients from same Brisbane hospital

Muskaan Hussain is caught somewhere between processing the grief of losing her father, and searching for answers about the fungal infection that took his life.

“We feel his loss so deeply, every single day, [in] everything that we do,” she said.

Her father, Muhammad Hussain – a GP and skin cancer specialist – contracted the infection after receiving a heart transplant in Brisbane’s Prince Charles Hospital in May, 2023.

Despite a lengthy and “rigorous antifungal and antibiotic treatment”, the 55-year-old died on September 20 this year.

Six weeks later, his family found out that several other heart transplants patients at the hospital had also fallen ill from fungal infections – however, there were a number of different strains.

“We were contacted by a doctor at The Prince Charles Hospital hours before it was revealed in the media,” Ms Hussain said.

“What safeguards did they have in place to prevent something like this from happening?”

Health minister backs transplant unit 

In total, five patients who underwent heart transplants at the hospital had also fallen ill from fungal infections — two, including Mr Hussain, have died.

The fungal infections are of four different strains.

Some possible fungal contamination, that was detected on transplant equipment at Prince Charles Hospital late last month, has been linked to one of those strains.

It has not been linked to either of the deaths, although two clinical reviews are underway.

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman told Queensland parliament that the transplant unit is “absolutely safe”.

“They are working with those families.”

She also offered her “deepest and most sincere condolences” to the families of the patients who died, apologising to those who say they learned of fungal presence via the media.

“The head of the transplant unit assured me that he had spoken directly to every patient, and if that has not happened then I want to again sincerely apologise to those families that it’s not good enough,” she said.

‘These are real people’

Ms Hussain said the apology has done little to comfort her family.

“This has affected five families very deeply. These were real people,” she said.

“We really need him in our lives, but what’s happened has happened.

“It’s not supposed to be easy but … finding out what has been going on at the hospital [with other patients being infected] … it’s been quite shocking.”

Clinical reviews underway, programs paused

Metro North Health, which encompasses The Prince Charles Hospital, said the clinical reviews were in the early stages.

It has also confirmed that late last month, the hospital detected some possible contamination in the area where it stored equipment used to retrieve donor hearts and lungs.

Metro North Health chief operating officer, Jane Hancock, said in a statement the programs were paused “out of caution” to assess the situation and order replacement equipment.

She said transplant patients are some of “our most vulnerable patients” and can be susceptible to various illnesses and infections in the community, especially once they return home.

“No surgeries were cancelled or rescheduled during this period”, she said.

“We want patients to know we have taken all precautions to keep them safe in the community. Any patient with concerns is encouraged to contact their transplant coordinator.”

The three other transplant patients who contracted fungal infections remain in the care of the hospital.

Two of them are recovering at home, while the third is in hospital with an unrelated clinical issue.