Her family has sought criminal action against all the erring staff. They have demanded that a case be registered against the staff members.
In a heart-wrenching incident in the Vijayapura district of Karnataka, a joyous occasion turned tragic for a family from Dadamatti village.
Just after bringing new life into the world with the birth of twins, a young mother’s life was cut short due to a grave medical oversight.
The woman — Sharada Doddamani — needed A-positive blood, but was allegedly transfused with B-positive blood by mistake, leading to her death on the evening of Tuesday, 19 March.
Sharada’s family has accused the hospital staff of negligence, leading to her untimely death.
An internal investigation initiated by Dr Shivanand Mastiholi, the district surgeon, confirmed the medical error.
Speaking to reporters, Mastiholi noted that Sharada gave birth to twins at the district government hospital on 23 February.
He added that she experienced severe bleeding immediately after birth, and the medical team at the hospital recommended a blood transfusion to address the situation.
Unfortunately, a grave error occurred during the transfusion process. Sharada, who had an A+ blood type, was mistakenly given B+ blood.
This critical mistake led to a rapid decline in her health, necessitating her transfer to BLDE Hospital, a private medical facility.
At BLDE Hospital, it was discovered that Sharada’s renal functions had been severely impacted by the transfusion error.
Despite efforts to save her, she succumbed to the complications 26 days later. The twins she gave birth to are currently being cared for at the same hospital.
“We have terminated three staff nurses — Surekha, Laxmi, and Savita — while blood bank technician Veerappa Jambagi has been suspended. We are, however investigating, the exact cause of her death and whether it was due to the wrong transfusion,” said the district surgeon.
“Further action is being considered against the attending physician, Dr Prema Nayak, once the post-mortem report arrives,” he added.
The family, meanwhile, has sought criminal action against all the erring staff. They have demanded that a case be registered against the staff members.
A blood group mismatch during a transfusion can have severe consequences.
Doctors told South First that in some patients who receive blood from the wrong group, the immune system identifies the B antigens as foreign bodies.
This, they said, triggers an immune response against the transfused cells, leading to a transfusion reaction. The severity of the reaction can vary. In Sharada’s case, it was severe enough to cause significant renal damage.
“The severity of the reaction can vary depending on several factors, such as the volume of blood transfused and the individual’s health status,” explained Dr Sanjay G, a physician at Shanti Hospital in Bengaluru.
“Transfusion reactions can range from mild to life-threatening and may include symptoms such as fever, chills, itching, difficulty in breathing, a rapid heart rate, chest or back pain, and blood in the urine,” he added.
He said a haemolytic reaction can occur in severe cases, where the recipient’s immune system destroys the transfused red blood cells, leading to complications such as haemoglobinuria (the presence of haemoglobin in the urine), jaundice, renal failure, shock, and even death.
The district surgeon from Vijayapura told reporters that Sharada, who was being treated for the past month, was recovering well but developed pneumonia in the last few days and had a prior skin infection, which became aggravated. He added that she died due to renal failure.
(Edited by Arkadev Ghoshal)
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