AN AUSTRALIAN liver transplant recipient, who sparked a storm of debate over her organ donation in her country, died at the Mount Elizabeth Hospital at noon on Thursday, after doctors battled for eight hours on Wednesday to remove blood clots that had formed around her heart.
Doctors said they had done all they could to save Ms Claire Murray, 25, from West Australia.
Her supporter and Perth doctor, George O'Neil, earlier told The West Australian news site that Ms Murray had been taken off life support on Thursday morning. 'This morning it looked as though they were taking her off the ventilator and she was in renal failure by 9am,' Dr O'Neill told the news portal. He said he expected doctors to 'declare she will be dead before lunchtime'.
According to a source close to the Murray family, the mother of two had too many blood clots. The operation had been expected to take four hours, but complications extended it to eight, The West Australian reported.
Ms Murray's organ donation sparked a storm of debate in Australia. Dr O'Neill commended her public fight. He said: 'I think a lot of people in the community have been interested but not really understood it could mean the death of a young, 25-year-old woman.' 'I have talked to (Ms Murray's family) and they are definitely in grieving mode.'
Her father, Michael, flew to Singapore to be with her on Wednesday. Her parents, brother, uncle and step-father are with her, although her two children remained in Perth.
Ms Murray, a recovering heroin addict, was refused a donor transplant by doctors in Perth because she relapsed soon after her first transplant in 2009. Ms Murray's aunt had donated part of her liver.
[SOURCE: http://www.straitstimes.com]
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