Blood Incompatibility | Medical Malpractice

Blood Incompatibility Lawsuits

Blood type incompatibility can occur when the blood type of a newborn differs from a mother’s blood type. In such cases, the maternal antibodies for ABO blood groups can pass through the placenta and into the fetal blood circulation and cause hemolysis—a destruction of the newborn’s red blood cells, possibly leading to severe anemia, hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN), cerebral palsy or death.

In most pregnancies, a mother’s blood does not mix with the child’s. However, it can happen and antibodies can form, destroying blood cells, causing an increase of bilirubin and a baby may develop kernicterus or cerebral palsy.

Physicians and hospital staff should monitor all newborns for jaundice due to ABO or Rh incompatibility in order to prevent kidney failure, anemia, brain damage, kernicterus, cerebral palsy or death.

Joe Lyon is a highly-rated Cincinnati birth injury lawyer and medical malpractice attorney representing plaintiffs nationwide in blood incompatibility lawsuits.

Blood Incompatibility Complications

Blood contamination generally presents symptoms soon after a transfusion, and patients may have difficulty breathing, muscle pain, fever, chest pain, and jaundice. Incompatible blood type errors can lead to ABO incompatibility reactions, and lead to the following injuries:

• Excessive bleeding
• Increased blood clotting
• Vital organ shutdown
• Kidney failure
• Stroke
• Death

Blood Incompatibility Malpractice

• Incorrect blood type analysis: lab tests may be incorrect or blood samples may be mislabeled
• Incorrect blood product: Laboratory and hospital staff errors may lead to an incorrect blood product being dispensed
• Improperly labeled blood products
• Wrong patient transfusions
• Expired blood products

Types of Blood Incompatibility

It is crucial in prenatal care to test for Rh incompatibility, a condition where a mother has Rh negative blood and the newborn has Rh positive blood. This is problematic because when a mother’s body does not recognize an Rh protein, it will treat it as a foreign substance, leading to severe health issues for the newborn.

A mother and newborn may also have an ABO blood type incompatibility, which can cause hemolytic disease. If a mother’s body does not recognize A or B antigens, it may trigger a dangerous immune response. Hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN) compromises a newborn’s red blood cells, and can be life-threatening for the newborn. Rh incompatibility may cause brain damage that can lead to cerebral palsy.

Blood Incompatibility Lawsuits

Blood transfusions are often necessary, but if administered improperly, they may cause severe injury and death. Blood incompatibility errors are all preventable, and injured patients may file claims against the negligent parties to recover compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering and lost wages.

Blood-related errors in hospitals may be the result of negligent nursing staff, mislabeled blood products, incomplete patient paperwork, or misidentifying a patient. Hospitals and medical facilities that facilitate such errors can be held liable in Medical Negligence for the injuries they cause.