Fatal Oversight: Unraveling the Tragedy of Jesica Santillan's Death and ABO Incompatibility - Paper Example

What Killed Jesica Santillian?

Mistakes in surgical procedures and logistics can result in grievous mistakes with threatening death consequences. Errors in the medical field are mostly caused by human negligence, especially when it comes to transplant or blood transfusion medical issues. Simple avoidance of protocol could lead to a patient losing their life, mainly because they are helpless in that regard (“Guidelines for Compatibility Procedures” 2004). Concerning what happened to Jesica Santillan, the young lady lost her life because of human error leading to ABO incompatibility reaction.

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Human Error

Jesica's doctor had received a call concerning a potential donation of lungs and heart in the build-up to her death. Jesica was supposed to undergo a transplant of the two organs, and a donation had luckily been found. Unfortunately, neither her doctor nor the organ procurement organization checked on the blood group issue, an imperative inquiry in the procurement process (Wailoo et al., 2006). The doctor assumed the OPO had confirmed with the patient before procurement. Additionally, no one in the Duke University Medical Center checked on the issue before commencing the transplant. Jesica's case illuminated a series of human errors amid the U.S health system (“Guidelines for Compatibility Procedures” 2004). All the stakeholders in the case cannot claim not to have been negligent because his doctor should have checked blood type compatibility instead of assuming the other party had done it. Additionally, he sent a marginally less experienced surgeon, who also ignored the compatibility issue.

ABO Incompatibility Reaction

While all stakeholders in Jesica's case were criminally responsible for her death, it is worth noting that what killed her is the ABO incompatibility reaction. The ABO Incompatibility response is a rare condition, yet when it occurs, death could be the result, like in Jesica'a case. It is also a condition that stems from human error (Wailoo et al., 2006). The deflection of unfamiliar antigens usually causes the reaction. From a medical standpoint, Jesica died because of blood agglutination. Blood agglutination occurs when red blood cells clog the recipient's blood vessels, causing a stoppage of blood to circulate to various parts of the body. Thus, the patient dies.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Jesica's death could be analyzed from an ethical standpoint or a medical one. From a moral perspective, various stakeholders ranging from procurement persons to those who operated on her displayed negligence. Negligence from the procurement side leads to Jesica receiving incompatible organs, while those who operated on the young girl failed to follow the necessary checklist before commencing on the surgery. The above mistakes lead to blood agglutination, which eventually cost the young girl her life.

References

Guidelines for compatibility procedures in blood transfusion laboratories. (, 2004). Transfusion Medicine, 14(1), 59–73. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0958-7578.2004.00482.x

Wailoo, K., Livingston, J., & Guarnaccia, P. (Eds.). (, 2006). A Death Retold. University of North Carolina Press. https://doi.org/10.5149/9780807877524_wailoo