Thorough inspections have been conducted since Monday (8/9) by a team from the National Blood Center (EKEA) at the private hospital where a wrong blood transfusion was administered to a 67-year-old patient in the early hours of Monday. It should be noted that a 26-year-old nurse administered a transfusion from the wrong blood group to the man, his wife later realized this and the transfusion was stopped, however 40ml of the total 200ml of blood contained in the special blood bag had already been given to the patient.
Thorough hospital investigation by EKEA following wrong blood transfusion
Specifically, the team is investigating at which point in the procedure the protocols that apply to blood transfusions were not followed. According to an announcement from “Eurokliniki,” the patient is well and hospitalized out of danger.
A few hours after the blood transfusion and following a complaint by the patient’s relatives, two doctors and one nurse were arrested by police, who were subsequently released. According to the hospital’s announcement, the blood was intended for another patient. The incident was immediately noticed and the transfusion to the 67-year-old was stopped.
Investigation from blood donation to transfusion
The investigation being conducted by EKEA will bring to light all the circumstances under which the incident occurred. On Monday afternoon (8/9), on orders from Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis, a special team from the National Blood Center (EKEA) rushed to Eurokliniki, which is expected to continue the investigation today by collecting evidence to reveal step-by-step what happened.
Eurokliniki’s announcement
Eurokliniki’s management acknowledged the error and emphasized in its announcement:
“Today in the early morning hours, during an emergency transfusion to a patient at our clinic and in deviation from the strict procedures we implement, the administration of a blood unit intended for another patient began. The incident was immediately noticed and the procedure was stopped without delay. The patient is in good health, is being closely monitored and is not in danger. The clinic is cooperating with the competent authorities.”
Adonis Georgiadis: What he says about the new incident with wrong blood transfusion to patient
After the shocking incident, Adonis Georgiadis posted on “X,” with the Health Minister emphasizing that following this incident, the National Health System will tighten all related protocols.
“I wish a speedy recovery to the patient who received the wrong blood transfusion today at ‘Eurokliniki.’ As you remember, when a similar incident occurred at Tzaneio, I had said that we should not condemn the National Health System for this and that unfortunately these are incidents that can happen even in the best hospitals. I point this out because various people had then found the opportunity to make cheap, populist opposition over a tragic, but human error. We in the National Health System have tightened all our related protocols after this,” wrote Adonis Georgiadis in his post.
The tragic incident with wrong transfusion to 62-year-old at Tzaneio
The new incident awakened memories of the recent tragic error by a nursing assistant at Tzaneio Hospital in Piraeus. The tragic mistake occurred last June when a 62-year-old patient hospitalized after a mild stroke died following a blood transfusion of an incompatible group – while, most shockingly, in this case too, a transfusion was not even needed.
