FINAL DIAGNOSIS

How often do we act in complete ignorance and haste, when caught in a critical situation? It happens to the best of us, when it comes to medical complications of a loved one or oneself. How important is it to exercise one’s common sense, seek a second opinion or just be aware? Experience has taught me, that these are the three most important things when caught in a medical emergency!

A few years ago, my husband lay in hospital, awaiting a by-pass surgery. With two days to go, the hospital authorities were conducting the various routine tests required prior to a major surgery. I casually glanced through the blood test reports that had just come. The blood group was listed as “ A+”. I read it again. As far as I knew, my husband was a
“ B +”. I walked up to the lab assistant and requested a re-test. At the same time, I called a local lab and asked them to conduct an independent blood grouping test.

We had been asked to collect donors of a matching blood group, to donate blood a day prior to surgery. Those days, blood banks didn’t provide blood anyway and ask for it to be replaced later, as they do these days. Hence collecting appropriate donors was absolutely critical, because a wrong blood group administered on the surgical table can prove fatal.

When the two reports came, both showed “B+” as the blood group. Obviously the reputed hospital lab had made a mistake! I pointed it out to the authorities, they accepted the oversight and promptly dashed across a letter of apology.

The point I am trying to make here is, had I not been aware or used my common sense and gut feeling, how would the letter of apology have helped? It would have been a rather costly mistake!

I’m not sure how many of you out there have been in a similar predicament. If you have, please share your thoughts and experiences. Lets make sure that others learn from our experiences, and no one is taken for a ride, or becomes a victim of circumstances. It is important for us to create an awareness, after all, as I feel…the hospital may have thousands of patients, but I only have one husband!

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