Other hospital have admitted using suspect parts in operations

The University Hospital of North Staffordshire said it was trying to contact the patient who it is believed underwent a bone graft operation.

The hospital said it was a customer of US firm Biomedical Tissue Services which allegedly exported body parts taken without relatives' permission.

An NHS regulator alerted 20 UK trusts after 82 parts were sent to hospitals.

Figures revised

Health watchdogs named 25 hospitals which bought the body parts on Wednesday, as a result of a Freedom of Information Act request by the BBC.

More than 1,000 body parts were plundered by gangs in New York and then sold for transplants, it has been claimed.

The body of veteran BBC broadcaster Alistair Cooke, who died of cancer aged 95 in March 2004, was reported to have been caught up in the case.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) initially thought 77 parts had been sent to the UK but they have now revised the figure and increased it 82.

'Risks negligible'

A spokesman said it was not suggesting that the parts were stolen or possibly infected but confirmed they did come from the US company.

They said that any risks to patients were low because of a stringent screening process in the UK.

Individual doctors are to decide what to do in regards to removing the implants or whether to leave them in.

The University Hospital of North Staffordshire originally said checks confirmed it had not purchased any of the contaminated bones but, after "further clarification", it admitted it had and that one part had been implanted in a patient.

"While this incident has not put patients at risk we are investigating to establish why this was not correctly identified during the first search," the spokesman added.

Hospitals in West Yorkshire and Plymouth have also confirmed they used suspect parts in bone graft operations.

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