The outcome of an investigation into how an additional heart and set of lungs came to be found inside the body of a man returned to the UK after a postmortem at Dublin's Beaumont Hospital is expected early next week.
The investigation is being carried out at the hospital by senior medical and administrative staff.
A spokesman said yesterday that he expected the inquiry to be completed early next week and the outcome would be conveyed to both the family of Louis Selo, in whom the extra organs had been found, as well as the family of the person to whom the organs actually belonged.
The extra organs were found when a second postmortem was performed on Mr Selo's body in the UK. He had died last month while visiting Dublin.
In a short statement yesterday the hospital said: "There has been significant media interest in an incident at Beaumont Hospital which resulted in organs of a deceased Irish resident being wrongly sent to Britain last month.
"The relatives of the Irish family involved have asked the hospital to issue a statement to the media on their behalf. They wish to have privacy to grieve the loss of their loved one and ask the media to ensure that neither they nor their loved one be publicly identified.
"The hospital is continuing to conduct its investigation into the precise circumstances of the incident and will take appro- priate action on foot of the findings, which it expects will be available in the near future."
The extra set of organs have been returned to the relatives of the person they belonged to and were interred following a religious ceremony.