Transfusion is tied to patient’s death
Posted on Friday, July 28, 2006
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A hospital patient died after receiving a unit of blood platelets tainted with E. coli bacteria, the Community Blood Center in Kansas City said.
The Food and Drug Administration determined the transfusion, which took place Dec. 21, was a “contributing factor” in the patient’s death.
“It truly was a tragic incident and a very rare series of mistakes,” David Graham, director of donor recruitment for the blood center, said Wednesday.
Citing patient confidentiality, Graham said he could not discuss the hospital or the patient, other than to say the patient was being treated for a serious illness at an area hospital. Only one unit of the tainted blood was released, he said.
Graham said the center tests all its blood products for various contaminants but accidentally released the platelets in question. After discovering the problem, he said, the center notified the hospital a matter of hours after the hospital received the platelets, but the unit already had been used.
In a warning letter dated March 9, the FDA chastised the blood center, saying its procedures are “not always maintained and followed.”
FEEDBACK:
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
