Posted on 01/31/2003 9:12:14 AM PST by RCW2001
Red Cross quarantines blood after particles found in supplies
By PATRICIA GUTHRIE The American Red Cross Blood Services Southern Region that supplies blood to medical centers throughout Georgia sent out an urgent notification this morning to stop using blood products found to contain "white particulate matter," hospital officials said. The quarantine listed inventory numbers of blood products sent out in Baxter collection bags. While an investigation is under way, hospitals were told that blood units were being sent to Georgia from the national blood inventory of the Red Cross. Officials at the Red Cross could not immediately be reached for comment. A statement was to be released to the media later today . In the notification sent to hospitals, Red Cross officials wrote: "We do expect to meet critical patient needs and to have your inventory stocked and replaced over the next several days." Metro Atlanta hospitals said they were either canceling, postponing or rearranging elective surgeries scheduled for today. Some said they expected to receive blood shipments from out of state by this afternoon. Enough blood is expected to be available for traumas. Emory University Hospital and Crawford Long Hospital said they were following protocol used during blood shortages -- surgeries are being rearranged today so that those with expected minimal blood loss will take place this morning. Riskier surgeries will be performed this afternoon, said Mary Beth Allen, director of the clinical and pathology laboratory for Emory Hospitals. "It is not a crisis. We are confident we will get more blood from out of state before noon" said Brad Minor, Emory Hospitals spokesman. At Northside Hospital, surgeons have been told to cancel operations involving a great risk of blood loss, said spokeswoman Katherine Watson. Surgeries with minimal risk can proceed but patients must be informed of the quarantine before agreeing to go ahead with the procedure, she said. Some blood products on hand at Northside are not part of the supply the Red Cross has flagged for quarantine, Watson added.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer
What a strange day! Fox has been showing a live chase of a hijacked postal truck in Florida for the last hour. Took a female postal clerk hostage and has at least 2 guns.
Hope it's not pathogen colonies.
I'm guessing Michael Moore donated this blood, and the "white particulate matter" is actually congealed bacon fat.
Lots of medical latex and polyethylenes get coated in talcum. I wonder if this was a defect during manufacturing.
Hmmm... maybe the "Red Cross most preferred" blood from "Mohammed's Barbershop and Bloodletting" had dandruff in it?
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