In a case of extreme medical negligence, a 32-year-old woman from Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district died after being given the incorrect blood type during transfusion. The incident took place at the Government General Hospital (GGH) in Anantapur on Wednesday, following which the woman died in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Akhtar Bano, a native of Tadipatri, was admitted to the Anantapur GGH on Tuesday after being referred by the Tadipatri Primary Health Centre (PHC) for a caesarean section. She delivered a healthy baby girl on Tuesday and it was noted that both the mother and child were in good health. However, on Wednesday, the doctors at the hospital opted to transfuse a few units of blood to Akhtar as her haemoglobin count was low.
It was at this instance that the horrifying mix-up occurred and she was administered B positive blood type, though her blood type was O positive, which can only receive O positive or O negative blood type.
Speaking to TNM, Dr KVNS Anil Kumar, Anantapur District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO), said, “At the time of admission to the GH, Bano's blood samples were sent to the lab to determine her blood type. There was a mix-up of blood samples and she was accidentally deemed to have B positive blood type. She was administered about 200 ml of the blood, after which she began showing signs of an allergic reaction. It was an ASHA worker at the hospital who noticed that she was an O positive patient but was receiving blood that was marked B positive.”
Following this, she had been shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), where she died due to complications in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Upon further investigation, the district medical officials found that the woman’s blood type had been clearly stated in all medical records both from the PHC as well as the hospital. Further probing by officials led to them taking action against those responsible for the tragedy.
Two doctors, two staff nurses and a lab technician have been suspended in light of the incident. Furthermore, a show-cause notice has been sent to the pathologist who was on duty at the time, as well as the superintendent of the government hospital.
How does being given a wrong blood type cause an allergic reaction?
If an individual receives a blood type that is not compatible with or is different from their blood type - for example, if a person with A positive blood gets B negative blood through transfusion - this leads to the onset of an allergic reaction, which can potentially be fatal. The allergic reaction varies with each person but can be as mild as itching and hives to breathing difficulties, which can even lead to death.
(With inputs from Charan Teja)