NOVEMBER 2012
Transfusion Overload with commentary by Manish S. Patel, MD, and Jeffrey L. Carson, MD At a skilled nursing facility, an elderly woman with myelodysplastic syndrome was found to be mildly anemic, and her oncologist arranged for her to be sent to the hospital and transfused with 2 units of blood. Less than 1 hour after the second unit of blood finished transfusing, the patient rapidly worsened and had a respiratory arrest.

JULY 2008
What Was in Those Platelets? with commentary by Roslyn Yomtovian, MD Following spinal surgeries, two different patients developed tachycardia, hypotension, and hypoxia due to sepsis. Given the similarity in clinical course, the hospital investigated and found that both patients had received platelets contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus.

MAY 2004
No Blood, Please with commentary by Bryan A. Liang, MD, PhD, JD Understanding that she may lose her life without it, a woman severely injured in a collision rejects a blood transfusion for religious reasons. However, her parents persuade the physicians otherwise, and the woman lives.