Boston Hospital Denies 62-Year-Old Woman Transfusion as U.S. Blood Donations Hit 4-Year Low
Updated
Updated · CBS New York · Aug 15
Boston Hospital Denies 62-Year-Old Woman Transfusion as U.S. Blood Donations Hit 4-Year Low
1 articles · Updated · CBS New York · Aug 15
Summary
Colleen O'Neill, 62, said Mass General Hospital told her she needed a transfusion, then withdrew the order because blood had to be reserved for trauma cases and emergency flights.
Type O shortages are especially acute, and the Red Cross declared an emergency blood shortage weeks ago after donations fell to a four-year low while hospital demand stayed high.
O'Neill, a New Hampshire woman with severe anemia who uses a wheelchair and says she can faint without warning, is still waiting to learn when she can receive blood.
Red Cross officials say the crisis reflects a shelf-supply problem: hospitals need blood already on hand for sudden mass-trauma events because new donations cannot be collected and delivered in time.