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Calif. hospital fined for deadly blood transfusion

The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — A Southern California hospital has been fined $25,000 by the state after nurses failed to follow blood transfusion protocol and a patient died as a result.

A state Department of Public Health investigation found that in October 2008, a patient at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center was given a blood transfusion that wasn’t needed and was the wrong blood type.

The transfusion lasted for 15 minutes before hospital staff realized the error. The patient later died.

In a statement Wednesday, Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center CEO Jeff Nelson says the hospital deeply regrets the incident and the two nurses involved have since resigned.