Tainted Blood Recalled After Screening Lapses at Centers

Lapses in screening of donated blood led to 24 close calls where contaminated or potentially contaminated blood slipped through the system and had to be recalled, the Food and Drug Administration and the American Red Cross reported Friday.

Authorities believe that no blood recipients were endangered by the errors, but the FDA has decided to step up its inspection of the Red Cross collection centers to once a year, instead of every other year.

Eighteen suspect units slipped through screening at the Red Cross regional collection center in Nashville, and six lapses occurred in Washington. Authorities contacted Friday could not say exactly how the contaminated blood had been disposed of but insisted there was no risk it would contaminate a transfusion recipient.

Two Officials Suspended

Two senior officials of the Washington regional Red Cross office were suspended for 30 days pending an investigation.

The FDA said 10 of the blood units had tested positive for HIV antibodies, a sign that the blood contains the AIDS virus. These units were accidentally shipped to a medical company that fractionates, or divides the blood. The company was notified of the contamination. The FDA said the fractionation “virtually eliminates any contamination threat.”

Five blood units, also destined for fractionation, had signs of contamination with hepatitis-B virus. Nine were collected from people who were “unsuitable donors,” those at high risk for AIDS.

An FDA investigation of the blood centers revealed they were not following standard operating procedures, and this led to data entry mistakes, clerical errors and failure to discard a fraction of blood after suspicious AIDS tests.