Blood Transfusion Injuries

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Mistakes made during blood transfusions can lead to severe injuries, and in some cases death. Sadly, such mistakes are more common than is generally known. An estimated 12 to 13 people die annually in the United States from preventable blood transfusion injuries, although some experts suspect that this number is underestimated. Blood transfusion injuries represent just one consequence of the unfortunate rise of medical malpractice in the healthcare community.

If you or a loved one has sustained a blood transfusion injury because of the negligence or malpractice of a medical professional, you need to ensure that your legal rights are protected. Please contact us today for a free consultation with an experienced medical malpractice attorney who can help you maximize your legal rights and options.

Causes of Blood Transfusion Injuries

In almost all cases, blood transfusion injuries are caused by medical negligence. Negligence can take many forms, ranging from innocent labeling mistakes to blatant recklessness. However, some circumstances that seem to promote negligence and commonly surround blood transfusion injuries are:

Storage of blood supplies for different patients in the same refrigerator
Inadequate staffing or staff training
Multiple transfusions being performed at once
Lack of informed consent for the transfusion
Inadequate blood and patient verification protocol
Incorrect blood identification and labeling

Conditions such as these can lead to the transfusion of tainted blood or the wrong blood type, the formation of life-threatening blood clots, and other potentially dangerous problems.

Blood Transfusion Errors and their Consequences

Blood transfusion errors often have devastating consequences, which range from blood compatibility issues to serious infection and death. In some cases, recipients of botched blood transfusions are forced to live the rest of their lives with chronic, incurable diseases such as Hepatitis and AIDS.

If you or a loved one has suffered serious injury or death because of a blood transfusion error, you may be eligible to seek compensation for your losses and suffering. Please contact us today to discuss your claim with a caring and competent medical malpractice attorney who can answer all your questions, explain your legal rights, and help you determine a course of action.