ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A woman in northern Duhok province has been in a coma for four days after giving birth, and her family is alleging that she was given the wrong blood type during surgery.
Shilan Ismail, 38 and a mother of six, was admitted to Zakho’s maternity hospital to give birth to her seventh child. The newborn is reportedly in good health, but the mother has been unconscious for four days after allegedly receiving incompatible blood, according to her family.
“Shilan Ismail was brought to our hospital on Friday night between 8:30 and 9:00 pm and needed surgery. After the surgery was successfully performed, Shilan's health deteriorated two hours later, and she was transferred to the intensive care unit,” a hospital source told Rudaw on Sunday, on condition of anonymity.
The source added that “a preliminary investigation has been carried out and it has been revealed that a patient with the same name was hospitalised and their blood was mixed up.”
Others say she fell unconscious due to a heart attack. The hospital has formed a committee of five doctors to investigate the incident, and the investigation is still ongoing. Any party found negligent will be punished,” according to the source.
Yasin Abdulrahman, Ismail’s cousin and brother-in-law, told Rudaw that “at the hospital, they said they would perform surgery and needed two bottles of blood. The person who took the blood to the doctor said they took two [different] blood types.”
Abdulrahman said Shilan’s blood type is B+
“After the surgery, we gave sweets to the staff and were happy. They told us to go outside. Later, they said Shilan's health had deteriorated, and there might have been a mistake in the surgery. The doctor said they gave her A+ blood, and a mistake had happened. We went to see Shilan and saw that her condition had deteriorated. After a while, she became unconscious and has not moved since,” he said.
Receiving incompatible blood can trigger a reaction where the immune system attacks the transfused blood cells. Symptoms may include fever, chills, back pain, low blood pressure, kidney failure, shock, or even death if not treated promptly.
“Blood transfusion is a difficult and complex process. Anyone who receives blood, the person who takes it out of the freezer, the person who transports it, and the person who gives it to the patient must all double-check the blood type. Any patient who is given the wrong blood will show symptoms immediately or within 24 hours,” Shokhan Mohammed, a hematologist, told Rudaw.
Abdulrahman said the family has not filed a complaint and “will not,” adding that they have informed the head of Zakho’s health directorate. “He promised us that they would do everything and provide the best doctors and services to Shilan, and that he would do everything in their power for her,” he said.
Zakho health directorate spokesperson Amir Ali told Rudaw that a committee has been formed to investigate the incident.
Kavin Hussein and Adnan Rashid contributed to this article.
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