Blood transfusions are pretty common during surgery, meaning there are strict safeguards in place to keep patients safe. When medical providers fail to follow the guidelines properly, victims of transfusion errors often face long hospital stays, dialysis treatment, permanent disability, or the emotional trauma of a near-fatal event.
Symptoms
- Acute hemolytic transfusion reaction (which is often fatal)
- Kidney failure
- Shock
- DIC (widespread clotting failure)
- Severe lung injury (TRALI)
- Cardiac arrest or death
Other symptoms include fever, chills, severe back or chest pain, rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, dark urine, or a drop in blood pressure.
What causes blood transfusion reactions during anesthesia?
Blood transfusion reactions are very preventable. The most serious error is giving a patient the wrong blood type due to labeling mistakes, misidentification, or communication failures. Medical providers must ensure that patients receive the correct blood during transfusion.
Other causes include improper storage of blood products, contamination, failure to verify records carefully, or administration of outdated or damaged blood. When providers overlook early warning signs or do not stop the transfusion quickly enough, other errors can occur. Even minor oversights in the handling or administration of blood can have catastrophic consequences.
Serious injuries that can be caused by blood transfusion reactions
When a reaction occurs, the injuries can be severe and permanent. Among the most serious are acute hemolytic transfusion reactions. Often caused by incompatible blood, they can destroy red blood cells rapidly and may occur within minutes of transfusion.
Other injuries caused by acute hemolytic transfusion reactions include kidney failure, widespread clotting problems (known as DIC), heart failure, and death.
Some patients may experience Transfusion-Related Acute Lung Injury (TRALI), which causes sudden, severe respiratory distress. TRALI is one of the leading causes of transfusion-related deaths in the United States. Other complications include sepsis, severe hypertension or hypotension, and irreversible organ damage.
Blood transfusion reaction cases require detailed investigation and strong legal support to identify the cause of the error and hold the responsible parties liable.
Contact Weisser Law today to schedule your free consultation.