Parents claim 3-month-old got wrong blood transfusion at hospital

CINCINNATI (WXIX/Gray News) - A Greater Cincinnati couple says their 3-month-old daughter received the wrong blood transfusion at Good Samaritan Hospital’s NICU in May, and that they were not informed of the error until hours later at a separate facility.

What the parents say happened

Damian and Allysa Gilbert of Lockland say their twin daughters, Winnie and Emmie, were patients in the Good Samaritan NICU when a nurse administered an unscreened bag of O-negative blood to Emmie, blood the parents say was not compatible with their daughter’s blood type.

“About an hour and a half after they started the blood transfusion, somebody came and realized that the blood was not compatible with Emmie’s blood and had taken her off of it and did an emergency stop,” Allysa Gilbert said.

By the time staff intervened, the Gilberts say Emmie had already received 12 milliliters of O-negative blood. She should have received Kell-positive blood, according to the parents.

“Basically they gave her blood that was attacking her body and making her go anemic,” Allysa Gilbert said.

Parents say they were not notified

The Gilberts say they were not told the transfusion was taking place, and were not informed of the error at Good Samaritan. The twins were then emergency transported to the University of Cincinnati’s NICU for further care, a transfer the parents say they also were not made aware of until after it occurred.

“The nurse went upon herself to grab another bag of O-negative blood that wasn’t screened and just gave it to her when she was completely 100% stable,” Allysa Gilbert said.

The parents say they learned of the wrong transfusion several hours later, only after their daughters had already arrived at UC’s NICU.

Hospital response

Good Samaritan Hospital provided the following statement when asked about the allegations:

“As one of the first hospitals in Cincinnati, Good Samaritan Hospital has a long history of providing exceptionally high-quality care to patients, particularly to our most vulnerable patients. Due to patient privacy laws, we cannot disclose information about specific patient events.”

Parents seek accountability

The Gilberts say they have received no answers from the hospital in the three months since the incident.

“I just want answers. I need to know that this will never happen to another baby. I need to know that the doctor and nurse who did this will be held accountable. I need to know that next time something happens that they are going to tell the parents,” Allysa Gilbert said.