Fla. Patient Who Got Wrong Blood Type Dies

SARASOTA, Fla. – A patient died after receiving the wrong blood type during a tranfusion, but hospital officials said it has not been determined whether the mistake killed her.

“It was a medical error, but we don’t know if it was the cause of death,” said Dr. Duncan Finlay, chief executive of Sarasota Memorial Hospital. He blamed the mistake on a mislabeled blood sample.

The woman died late last month, about a day after the transfusion, but the hospital has not released her name, age or details about her condition.

Hospital spokesman Mike Vizvary said an internal investigation was continuing, but administrators have not taken action against anyone involved. The state also will investigate.

Mark Magenheim, director of Suncoast Communities Blood Bank, said about 60 percent of people who receive the wrong blood type would not exhibit any problematic symptoms.

In March, the hospital mistakenly performed a heart catheterization on the wrong patient, which Finlay said did no harm. The mistake was made because no one compared the patient’s wrist identification bracelet to the patient’s chart.

Heart catheterization is a generally routine procedure that involves using a catheter to insert dye into arteries to detect blockages.