Posted on 04/28/2010 7:03:08 AM PDT by SargeK
The article clearly states the issue was mixed up type-crossing involving transfusion of 6 units of FFP (fresh frozen plasma) in someone with acute liver failure.
1. The problem was the mixed up type samples, which is a serious potential error.
2. That error would not be expressed in the transfusion of FFP because type doesn’t matter. (Red blood cells that are the subject of said typing are spun out of and so, not part of, FFP.)
3. The rationale for giving so many units of FFP in liver failure is a coagulopathy - so-called ‘thin blood’ caused by the liver failure. The need for so many units means the patient was likely near death.
FFP was not the cause of the man’s death based on cross-matching.
Yes.
Same here, I’ve been under VA care for 2 years now and am amazed at how efficient, caring, and professional all involved with the VA are.
Just recently I had inguinal hernia surgery repair on an out patient basis and was amazed at the precision of the whole procedure. The guy next to me had 3 stents put in on an out patient and he was very please.
I asked the nurse how many operations were scheduled that day and she said 32 surgeries were preformed by noon. WoW
This was at the Louis Stokes VA in Cleveland, Ohio
And our local Va in Warren, Ohio is just as good. And I have never waited more than 10 minutes to be seen. Compared to my previous Dr., that is 1/6th the wait.
If it is only plasma, does it matter what type of blood is used?
Yeah the VA out west is slightly special.
You get plenty of good people and you get plenty who are working there because someone decided their niece/nephew should get a job.
I personally don’t use them unless I have to.
they saved my husbands life when he had a heart attack but its easy to see what is priority...of course he says not to complain or he will get sent to the back of the line.
Thank you, I believe, and as a nurse have administered blood plasma from Different Blood Cell Type donors many times without complications. It is done everyday. If this was transfusion of Red Blood Cells of an incompatible donor there would be an immediate, unmistakable reaction in the patient.
I’m overjoyed that you’re having such great care in Maine. Just please realize that many of us don’t get that same kind of treatment.
I’m a former V.A. employee and a veteran, so have seen both sides for over 20 years. Unfortunately, the positive experiences I’ve had are the exception.
Hopefully, you’ve let the hospital director know in writing the stellar care you’ve been receiving. When it’s good they need to know as well as when it’s bad.
I tend to agree CJ - O plasma should be safe but in a non-emergent situation they should still do the cross-match. In a true emergency then someone can authorize “type-specific” blood or plasma. Sounds like the guy was going to go anyway and somebody’s looking to afix blame i.e. collect a big check.
Here it look like during the cross match some test tubes were swapped/not labeled or both. But if you’ve got hepato-renal syndrome, pseudomonas sepsis and who knows what all else - likely your days or hours are, in fact, numbered.
Ooops, what I said before is not right. You can give O negative *blood* to anyone. You can’t give O *plasma* to everyone. The universal donor for *plasma* is AB positive. Like I said in an earlier post, it’s the opposite as it is for blood.
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