# Wrong blood test results! Anyone else had this?



## mountainlion (Aug 13, 2006)

I am trying to find out if anyone else has had incorrect blood test results.

Last year we wanted to have egg donation IVF, so we paid a few hundred pounds to have the required blood tests done at a London fertility hospital. This told us amongst other things, what blood group I was so I could be matched for egg donation. Unfortunately the result showed I was 'O NEGATIVE' which meant I had a much longer wait for egg donation at our chosen clinic, or twice the price to pay at another hospital with a shorter waiting list.
As medical and personal reasons dictated that we only had a 5 month window to complete our treatment in,we opted to spend all the savings we had on 1 course of treatment at I.M.Barcelona, rather than 2 courses of treatment at Ceram Spain. Luckily the treatment worked and I have just had a lovely son.
As part of my pregnancy, the usual blood tests were carried out, including blood group, and I was told I was 'A POSITIVE'. Knowing this must be wrong we paid for further tests, which all showed the same 'A POSITIVE' [In all, 4 consecutive tests shows 'A POSITIVE']
Incidently, out of 6 blood tests we had taken at this London hospital, 2 have been proved to be totally wrong, 2 were 'lost by the lab', and 2 I believe involved the blood samples being tested under the wrong name.
I believe these mistakes were made because the blood sample vials were not labelled at the time the blood samples was taken, nor were the lab sheets filled in.
Therefore if you notice that the blood sample bottles aren't labelled with your name when you have blood tests taken, don't be afraid to point this out.
[PS. before anyone asks, no we haven't had any of our blood test money refunded, or anything else.... Indeed when their lab lost 2 of our samples and we had to return to London to have them retaken, we were sent another bill!]
Regards, Mountain lion and cub.

[Note to MODERATOR; Details verifying the contents of this e-mail and identifying us, have been sent to F.F. moderator Ruth from Ceram.
Also a S.H.O.T [Serious Hazards of Transfusion] incident has been reported as part of the S.H.O.T reporting scheme.]

*Clinic name removed


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## ♥JJ1♥ (Feb 11, 2006)

Hi MountainLion

As a nurse I read with horror, as it is life threatening for a lab/hospital to give you the wrong blood group.  I am so glad you know about SHOT.  You need the incident investigating - a formal complaint lodging asking for an investigation at the clinic, and a refund for the subsequent tests and lost tests.  Have you also informed HFEA? as it is dangerous and life threatening practices happening in a hospital or lab.  Also how many women are being pumped full of the wrong drugs/doses on inaccurate samples.  Labs also have to conform to standards and be accredited - can't think what the name is but SHOT people would know.

The SHOT reports basic guidelines are to prevent incidents, as even a few mls of the wrong blood transfused can result in death.  Ask for a detailed investigation.  Also SHOT recommended that hospitals should also have a transfusion practitioner, usually a senior nurse who job it is to educate staff on transfusions and safe practices. We have one.

In cases like this the error usually occurs because the person taking the blood does not write the blood form out themselves (they are following someone else's forms, like a phlebotomist drawing the bloods for the Dr/nurses), they don't check all the pt details with the form correctly ie: name, date of birth, hospital number etc- then they should bleed the pt themselves, and label the bottle immediately themselves and again check the details with you. They shouldn't use a prelabelled bottle etc. Also name stickers are poor practice and no Trust I have worked in will accept group and save specimen's with labels on, as they can come off in the machine.

It is scary to think what might have happened.

So glad you have your DS. Congratulations.
L xx


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## mountainlion (Aug 13, 2006)

Thanks JJ1 for your reply.
We have tried most of what you have written above with unfortunately little success. It took us several letters for the hospital to take us seriously even. They say it isn't their policy to give refunds or compensation. We have managed to get them to agree to changing their blood taking protocol.
When we have written to the clinic director/owner [name withheld] we received a reply stating why they thought the blood tests where tested under the wrong name, unfortunately in this letter they called me by someone elses name!!! this didn't inspire confidence.
We haven't tried **** yet as unfortunately I don't have much confidence in them either, and one of their senior members is the same person I wrote to above, so I am not sure it would be dealt with fairly.
Mountainlion.

I would like to say with the moderators permission that this clinic has nothing to do with the Panorama program.


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