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You are in: Home Page | Personal Injury | Medical Negligence Claims | General Clinical Negligence Issues | Blood Transfusions and Clinical Negligence Claims

Blood Transfusions and Clinical Negligence Claims

Introduction to Blood Transfusions
  What are Blood Transfusions?
When is a Blood Transfusion needed?
  What conditions are treated with Blood Transfusions?
What can go wrong during a Blood Transfusion?
  Errors made with Blood Transfusions
Example of a Blood Transfusion Claim Thompsons have dealt with
  Real Life Blood Transfusion Case we have helped with
Blood Transfusion Compensation Claim Advice
  How to start a claim for compensation after being injured by a Blood Transfusion

Introduction to Blood Transfusions

What are Blood Transfusions?

The term "Blood Transfusions" relates to the taking of blood from one person and the giving of it to another.  Blood transfusions are normally only taken from a very healthy person and are only given to people whose lives are in danger or whose suffering would be relieved by a blood transfusion.

When performed correctly, blood transfusions are an amazing medical procedure which save and transform many lives each year for children and adults alike.

Since the first blood bank opened in England in 1937 enormous developments have been made concerning the procedures involved with blood transfusions and thankfully the vast majority of transfusions go well.  If a mistake is made; however, it can have serious life-threatening results.

If you or a member of your family has suffered an injury due to mistakes made with a blood transfusion, you may be able to make a personal injury compensation claim.  For more information about how Thompsons may be able to help, call us on 08000 224 224 or complete one of our online personal injury compensation claim forms.

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When is a Blood Transfusion needed?

What conditions are treated with Blood Transfusions?

Whole blood is very rarely used in modern-day transfusions. Donated blood is generally separated into red cells, platelets and plasma which are used to treat different conditions. The most common transfusion is a red cell transfusion.

When we think of the reasons for a blood transfusion being necessary, the first reason to come to mind is probably blood loss from a traumatic accident of some kind. Although this is a reason for a blood transfusion, it is just one of many different conditions and situations where blood transfusions are used to either save a life or improve a person's quality of life whilst suffering from an incurable condition.

Some other reasons for blood transfusions are to replace lost blood after operations, organ transplants and childbirth as well as to treat people with severe anaemia or those who aren't producing enough red blood cells of their own as a result of cancer treatments, leukaemia and anaemia. Blood transfusions are also used in newborns if their red cells break down and for people with sickle cell disease, bone marrow failure, liver disease or haemophilia.

If you or someone you know has suffered harm as a result of a blood transfusion, you may be able to make a personal injury claim for compensation. To discuss your individual circumstances in more detail, call us on 08000 224 224 or complete one of our online personal injury compensation claim forms.

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What can go wrong during a Blood Transfusion?

Errors made with Blood Transfusions

The main risks of injury when receiving a blood transfusion are receiving the wrong type of blood or receiving infected blood.

Receiving the wrong blood type

To safeguard against a patient being given the wrong type of blood, it is normal procedure for the recipient's blood to be tested immediately before the transfusion takes place. They also then have to wear a wristband which shows their blood type which has to be checked before each new bag of blood is transfused.

Mistakes do still happen however and receiving the wrong blood type in a transfusion can have fatal consequences. If you are given the wrong blood type, it will almost always be considered to be negligent treatment.

Receiving Infected Blood

When potential donors are going to give blood, they have to declare any risks of infection they have been exposed to before the donation is taken. Staff then follow strict hygiene procedures such as cleaning the donor's arm thoroughly before the blood is taken.

All donated blood is then tested in laboratories for any harmful diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis B and C before it is put into the system for being used in a transfusion.

The testing of blood can never be 100% accurate as if a donor has only very recently been infected with a disease it may not show up as part of the screening; therefore it is possible for infected blood to enter the system in a small number of cases.

If you or someone you know has been injured as a result of receiving a blood transfusion, you may be able to make a personal injury compensation claim. For more information about how Thompsons Solicitors may be able to help you, call us on 08000 224 224 or complete one of our online personal injury compensation claim forms.

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Example of a Blood Transfusion Claim Thompsons have dealt with

Real Life Blood Transfusion Case we have helped with

Below, you will find just one example of a blood transfusion compensation claim which Thompsons Solicitors have dealt with.

Master X contracted Hepatitis C (genotype 1A) within the first few weeks of his life from infected blood products. Unfortunately, he was not responsive to a 6 month combined treatment regime following this, and a claim for the contraction of Hepatitis C was made during his childhood. His claim was settled for the sum of £23,000 in 2002 on a provisional basis, which left him with the right to return and apply for further compensation, should certain events specified in the settlement materialise.

Master X and his family approached Thompsons in 2007 after a liver biopsy in 2006 revealed that he would require pegalated interferon treatment, combined with Ribavirin tablets, over a 12 month period in order to eliminate the virus from his blood system. During this treatment period, Master X experienced emotional mood swings, along with physical side effects such as headaches, ‘flu like feelings, constant tiredness and fainting episodes. He also developed an unpleasant rash, sensitivity to light and hallucinations.

Master X was forced to miss a considerable period of school and his college attendance was delayed as a result. His intended career progression within the field of sport and fitness was also consequently delayed as a result of the side effects of the treatment he required.

Master X (an adult by the conclusion of his claim) is now considered cured as a result of the treatment regime and medically it is unlikely that he will experience a remission of the disease, or any of the long term complication expected from it.

A settlement of £16500 was ultimately agreed in respect of this further need for treatment and the unfortunate side effects that accompanied it.

If you or someone you know has been injured as a result of receiving a blood transfusion, you may be able to make a personal injury compensation claim. For more information about how Thompsons Solicitors may be able to help you, call us on 08000 224 224 or complete one of our online personal injury compensation claim forms.

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Blood Transfusion Compensation Claim Advice

How to start a claim for compensation after being injured by a Blood Transfusion

If you are concerned that you or somebody close to you may have suffered from a negligently performed blood transfusion, or that appropriate treatment has not been provided following a transfusion, please do not hesitate to contact us for further advice.

Thompsons Solicitors have years of experience in dealing with cases involving clinical negligence and we will be able to advise you if you are entitled to make a claim for clinical negligence against the NHS or if you are entitled to make a claim from The Skipton Fund.

If you or anyone you know has suffered from any form of clinical negligence, telephone us now for accurate personal injury claim advice.

There are strict time limits in place to make any personal injury compensation claim. For further information, contact us or visit our Questions Answered page.

Thompsons Solicitors are experts in all matters relating to clinical negligence and will be able to advise you as to whether or not you have a valid personal injury claim for compensation. Our specialist clinical negligence lawyers will be happy to talk you through the process of making a claim in plain English and will be happy to answer any questions or queries you may have.

Telephone us now on 08000 224 224 or complete one of our online personal injury compensation claim forms.

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