Philly Hospital Cited in Two Deaths

Almost 1,000 patients affected by lab error in blood-clotting test

For two months, the lab at St. Agnes Medical Center in Philadelphia used the wrong chemical to test patients' blood-clotting ability. That error proved deadly for two patients, reports this wire story on MSNBC.

The clotting tests are routinely given to patients on the blood-thinning medication Coumadin to ensure that their blood retains some clotting ability. Doctors adjust the drug's dosage depending on the results of these tests.

"People got wrong results and medication was adjusted based on these incorrect results. They were given a higher dosage," says Dr. Bruce Kleger, director of the Pennsylvania health department's Bureau of Laboratories.

Almost 1,000 patients were tested with the wrong chemical, and many were then given the wrong dose of medication. Two elderly men died of brain hemorrhages as a result of the error, reports the article.

The hospital's lab has 10 days to correct the error or it may lose the authority to perform clinical diagnostic tests. The state health department plans to check up on the hospital's lab procedure throughout the year with unannounced visits.

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