jhaig Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 I was watching the movie "Bruce Almighty" this weekend and found a glaring error involving a blood transfusion. For those who haven't seen the movie, Bruce had just been run over by an 18-wheeler and woke up in the hospital. He was receiving a transfusion of AB Pos RBC's. The problem - the unit was hanging upside down as it was being infused, but the unit's AB label was rightside up. Of course, this was so the viewer could easily read the unit's blood type. But seen through a blood banker's eyes, this was an obvious error.So I was thinking - are there any other ridiculous errors in movies or TV shows that you have seen that show blatant, and sometimes hilarious, errors involving blood?Yup, it's a slow day here today...:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John C. Staley Posted November 18, 2008 Share Posted November 18, 2008 About a 1000 years ago on the soap General Hospital, Rick turned out the be the father of Monica's baby and it was proven because the baby had the Bombay blood type. I never did quite get over that one!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Pepper Posted November 18, 2008 Share Posted November 18, 2008 There was a "House" episode a while ago where House ended up solving the patient's mystery illness by figuring out that he was having hemolytic reactions because they were giving him blood of the same (incorrect) ABO group that the patient said he was, apparently avoiding the annoying inconvenience of pretransfusion testing. The same episode featured a visit to the blood bank which in lieu of apparatus had a bunch of beakers and flasks filled with pale pink, blue and green fluids. My wife told me to stop jumping up and down and screaming at the TV, and just shut up and drink a glass of wine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lcsmrz Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 You'll notice in the credits that the medical consultant is usually a nurse ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kellpos Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Not an obvious error but a "real" event in that many years ago, an ER episode had a hemolytic transfusion reaction with the wrong blood type being transfused. I think the patient died but it was nurse Hathaway who discovered the error and if I remember tried to cover it up by throwing the bag out, but later on realized that she had to report it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhaig Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share Posted November 19, 2008 Not an obvious error but a "real" event in that many years ago, an ER episode had a hemolytic transfusion reaction with the wrong blood type being transfused. I think the patient died but it was nurse Hathaway who discovered the error and if I remember tried to cover it up by throwing the bag out, but later on realized that she had to report itI remember that one. Wonder if the people involved kept their jobs:cool:Usually 'ER' and 'CSI' get it right because they have actual medical consultants. In fact, I remember a CSI episode a while ago where a murder suspect was a genetic chimera. I remember it because it was one of the few episodes where I called the diagnosis before the end of the show... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davisco Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 I seem to remember an ER episode where a boy's long-lost genetic father was relocated and they transfused the boy with the rare type directly from his dad's arm! Pretty funny...I think 3 or 4 of us actually were on the phone calling each other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skopti Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 I recall that ER episode with the rare type. After that episode was aired, we had relatives of a patient at our hospital that wanted to donate the same way. We tried to explain that it takes at least 5 working days to make the Directed blood available, they said but on ER it only took few miutes. It just kills me that people believe what they see on these shows and would not take no for an answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Pepper Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 We had a vascular surgeon at my hospital (before my time, circa 1960?) who insisted on a direct transfusion from his son. At least he let the BB type them both first. He survived the transfusion but developed anti-K. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb Thompson Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 How about the movie "Pursuit of Happyness" where the main character is broke and sells his blood. Problem was, the bag was clearly labelled "volunteer donor". Oops! AABB made a stink about that one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhaig Posted December 9, 2008 Author Share Posted December 9, 2008 Did anyone see a recent "House" episode where Dr. House obtained a urine specimen by jabbing a screaming patient directly in the bladder? Maybe he was trying to cut costs by not using those expensive catheters. Reminds me of my old lab manager who was so frugal he would centrifuge pens to save every drop of ink. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbostock Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 Another "ER" episode where the doc played by Noah Wyle bravely stepped forward to donate blood to a victim because the hospital was out of the extremely rare blood type O neg. So he pulled up a chair, and they took the blood directly from his arm and gave it to the patient...took his word for it that he was O neg apparently, not to mention wasting time by testing it for infectious disease markers.I crack up too, that whenever they show a lab, there are always beakers and flasks filled with pretty colored liquids...that kills me.And "CSI"...how can they work in the dark...can't they turn on a light?!!OK, I'm done ranting.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geekay Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 In Hindi movies from India, we often find the Blood Donor and the recipient lying on adjacent beds in the hospital and the blood transfusion happening... In majority of the occasions, it is the climax scene, when the father / mother recognises the son / daughter whom they had lost years back...It will be accompanied by a touching song .This is NOT a matter of olden days...even now.....in this era of modern technology and awarenesss...and advancements... with wishes, engeekay2003 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trek Tech Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 I loved the episode of Nip/Tuck where they were trying to figure out if the blood from a "Stigmata" wound in a patient's foot was the same blood type. The first laugh was the nurse pushing a butterfly needle into the wound and collecting a full 10 ml tube of blood in a tiger top tube.The doctors had reagents which looked authentic..blue anti-A and yellow Anti-B. But then the doctors were both looking in a microscope to type the blood. The picture was displayed on a computer screen which looked like red cells, sickle, schistocytes etc... They both looked at the blood and said "It's not her blood type!".I know they use a surgical RN as their medical consultant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L106 Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 I remember an old episode from many years ago from "Dr. Welby, MD" (OK, probably half of the Blood Bank Talk members have no idea what I'm talking about).....Anyway, Dr. Welby (in full scrubs) comes running out of Surgery (only observing a surgery, of course.) As he runs down the hall a nurse runs up to him and frantically says, "Dr. Welby, Dr. Welby.....the Lab just called and they said that they could do that STAT Direct Coombs Test now!!"Boy, don't you wish we had that luxury of scheduling a Direct Coombs Test??!! (We still laugh about this one.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmarotto Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Don't feel alone, I remember Marcus Welby, MD. James Brolin played his young associate, Dr. Kiley. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L106 Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Thanks, bmarotto. I feel better now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donellda Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 I remember Marcus Welby MD also. I used to be a huge fan of the soap General Hospital and several years ago there was some type of epidemic in the hospital that claimed the life of their only medical technologist. I thought that I should go there to apply for the job or at least to offer assistance to their writers.:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L106 Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 Chuckle! Chuckle!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tricore Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 My all time favorite is the from the movie Omega Man with the late Charlton Heston. He was running a blood count on the Coulter-S (state of the art at the time). All of the red lights were on indicating that all of the results errored out. The printout would have read zeroes for everything! He was studying it with great interest as if it had results.I also remember Marcus Welby MD but I was very young at the time. Ha! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayinsat Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 what kills me about the medical shows, especially HOUSE!!!!, is that these doctors do everything! How many times have any of you seen a Physician perform his own MRI, microbiology culture with id and genetic testing, go to someones home and collect environmental samples and bring them to the lab and analyze them him/herself? How many times do you see a physician even collect blood? On that show, the doctors do EVERYTHING! I've even seen them doing brain and spinal surgery and they are not surgeons! It's amazing that I don't think i've ever seen a lab tech, radiology tech (or radiologist), or any ancillary services rep. They do it all.Love the show though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayinsat Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 I remember Dr. Welby well....that means we're both old! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penny Thiel Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 You folks have made my day!Thanks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heathervaught Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 There is an episode of NCIS where the DNA in a dismembered leg is traced through the Bone Marrow Registry to a hospital nurse, who is very much alive and has both legs intact. When trying to explain how her DNA was in the dismembered leg, she states that she "donated blood for an accident victim because the blood bank was out of blood and she is a universal donor." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Churchi Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Several years ago, I was watching one of those medical based dramas - I think it was Quincy - and he walked into a patient's room to find a fully stocked phlebotomy tray sitting on the patient's bed, right next to the patient. Just waiting for him to come in and draw a sample. I remember telling my husband what a no-no that was! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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