Tainted IV Fluid Kills 12 Pregnant Women In India

JAIPUR, India -- Contaminated intravenous fluid is suspected in the deaths of 12 pregnant women at a government hospital in northwestern India, police and health authorities said Friday.

Doctors are battling to save the lives of four more women who fell critically ill after being given the fluid in the maternity ward, hospital superintendent Narendra Chhangani said.

Police are investigating the manufacturer and distributors of the tainted IV fluid after the young women died over the past 10 days in the state-run Umaid hospital in Jodhpur, a city in Rajasthan state.

Authorities have seized the remaining bottles of fluid in the hospital after laboratory tests confirmed that some of the bottles were contaminated, a police official said.

"The hospital administration has banned purchases from the manufacturer of the glucose and the company has been asked to withdraw its IV fluid stocks from all over the country," said inspector general Bhupendra Dak.

Initial tests showed that the glucose supplied to the hospital were tainted with bacteria and fungus, Dak said.

Health authorities were also inspecting the hospital's operating rooms and the maternity ward for infectious bacteria as part of their investigations, he said.

Rajasthan's health minister A. A. Khan said the government was awaiting the results of glucose samples sent for further tests to a laboratory in Calcutta and those responsible for the deaths would be punished.

Tens of thousands of women die in India each year during pregnancy or childbirth because of limited access to emergency care.

Comments

[jl4141]

08:04 PM on 02/27/2011

What's she carrying in that belly, a 12 year old?

[NWMidwife]

07:35 PM on 02/27/2011

I am not familiar with Indian birth practices, but the vast majority of women do not need IV fluids. Simply staying hydrated with water like they do in their normal lives is all that's needed, except for rare emergencies. The availability of trained midwives would go a long way to lower the maternal mortality rate, with early prenatal care being the game changer.

[synergie]

03:53 PM on 02/28/2011

You mean rare emergency cases like those being treated in a state hospital? They were in the hospital for some reason. The vast majority of women don't develop gestational diabetes, nor do the vast majority of women seek treatment at government hospitals for healthy pregnancies. These women were not the part of the "vast majority".

[Roarcat72]

01:00 PM on 02/27/2011

Who wants to place bets on that it was imported from China.

[BowlingForRevenge]

03:20 PM on 02/27/2011

You've got my money!

[synergie]

03:53 PM on 02/28/2011

Er. I'll take that bet. India has a booming pharmaceutical industry as well, and a government hospital would likely be sourcing locally.

[logicalchoice]

12:36 PM on 02/27/2011

yet, no mention of the name of the the producer? even in this the corperations are protected!

[AZterritory]

03:06 PM on 02/27/2011

Probably made in India, they have a huge pharmaceutical industry, some of which is exported to the US because our insurers want to pay less for the meds.

[TYRANNASAURUS]

11:10 AM on 02/27/2011

This is a great photo for the argument for sterilization.

[EmmaLib]

09:27 AM on 02/27/2011

Tragic ending to what is normally a very joyous time. I hope they pull the others through their ordeal...... it is just very sad.

[Zanubiyah]

12:08 AM on 02/27/2011

In Georgia USA...

Under a proposed law, the women would be accused of a crime, and have to be found not guilty for them to become victims of the tainted glucose IV.

[BowlingForRevenge]

03:17 PM on 02/27/2011

Tort Reform?
A Hall Pass for liability.

[synergie]

03:55 PM on 02/28/2011

That wasn't laughed out of the state congress????

[Zanubiyah]

07:37 PM on 02/28/2011

synergie...

You know, it would be funny if it was laughed at before someone actually put the notion on a piece of paper.

Maybe 30 years ago, it would have been in the 'newsprint' at the impulse rack while you waited in the check out.

It is shameful that this actually is real, serious news.

[Catherine Lynch Monks]

09:48 PM on 02/26/2011

Again a very good reason not to buy medical products made overseas.

[BowlingForRevenge]

03:19 PM on 02/27/2011

Haha! Probably less than 10% of what is used in the medical field in the USA is made anywhere BUT the USA. China and Mexico lead the way.

[synergie]

03:56 PM on 02/28/2011

Hmm, yeah. Because this side of the "seas" is utterly perfect in execution right? I think they don't need much encouragement to ignore medical products from overseas, from our own shores.

[terry63]

07:14 PM on 02/26/2011

Ahh, yes glucose got it

[terry63]

07:12 PM on 02/26/2011

What sort if iv fluid? Normal saline can be visually inspected for the most part and is good long after its experation date. Hmmm. very vague story.

[biabouman41]

05:44 PM on 02/26/2011

Republicans, this is why we need Government agencies like the FDA and why we need regulations and funding to pay for inspections to ensure safety and see no shortcuts to save a few pennies are taken which will jeapodise lives.

[Drmhp]

12:04 AM on 02/27/2011

Not so fast. The FDA is causing as much death as it is helping people. Drug companies are paying them off to ignore their safety lapses and are producing dangerous tainted drugs as well.

[Attilatheblond]

12:22 PM on 02/27/2011

Yep. We need a FUNCTIONING FDA and better regulation of the drug companies, including destroying the carrot of chushie jobs for FDA employees who help companies bypass proper studies, inspections, real regulatory actions.

[TXfemmom]

05:35 PM on 02/26/2011

This is exactly why the United States should not be purchasing medical supplies from foreign countries such as India and China.  We have enough problems with contamination and poor practices at facilties in this country.  Look at the recent recalls on all the Tylenol products and the alcohol swab pads which were contaminated.
 
When things are produced in India, China, Mexico and other places we have absolutely no control over the process and there is next to nothing in oversight.  Additionally, permitting multinational corporations to move their operations overseas puts us in a position where we are vulmerable in case of a pandemic or other crisis.
 
Laws should be passed which require that companies which desire to sell their products keep a large portion of their production facilties here and then the FDA and other bodies actually should do their jobs...instead of seeing themselves as lackeys for the companies, and assisting them in hiding the truth
 
The Republicans would probably try to say this sort of thing is an Act of God, like the oil well explosion.  Instead of seeing safer and safer manufacturing and better quality, we are seeing effective controls and standards disappearing due to the greed of corporations and our governments' assistance in permitting them to erode the safety standards which should be strictly enforced.

[ritgar]

07:08 PM on 02/26/2011

Absolutely agree. I hate having to deal with Medco & their overseas products - most of the generics just don't work & we are forced to use them or pay inflated prices. Why bother. If a country is willing to poison it's own people why should we be buying from them. Just sickening.

[synergie]

04:01 PM on 02/28/2011

You just stated that contamination and problems occur due to poor practices in this country. What does the location have to do with anything?

You realize that we don't necessarily control all of the "multinationals" right? Laws like the ones you propose would just cut us off from a decent source of medications.

When we possess neither the track record, nor the infrastructure you criticize other countries of lacking, and then seek to slap restrictions on companies who are not American countries to begin with ... Well, I'm wondering if you're thinking through your statements.

[TXfemmom]

04:57 PM on 02/28/2011

We have some controls...India and China have none whatsoever.
 
I did think it through because we need to provide for the production of enough medical supplies within our borders to get us through a serious event.  Stocks are run so lean by hospitals and even distributors that even a small disruption, such as the one we had with Mexico with the H1N1 events imperils the functioning of our health care system.  It is a national security issue.
 
We may have controls which are inadequate, but we do have some controls.  They do not have effective or any controls whatsoever in China, India, Mexico and other places where we source many of the vital and necessary medical supplies required for everyday use.

[TYRANNASAURUS]

05:31 PM on 02/26/2011

Let em' eat cake.

[Osapient1]

07:23 PM on 02/26/2011

After seeing the photo in the story, I may not eat again...

[Schmice]

02:30 PM on 02/26/2011

If this had happened in the U.S, SCOTUS would have said the manufacturer is free from liability.

[EagleFliesInSky]

11:42 AM on 02/26/2011

What's as disturbing as this story is that utterly gross photo. Need we have to examine every artery and cell to know what pregnancy looks like?

[laurelei23]

05:25 PM on 02/26/2011

That's what pregnant women look like.

Bet you prefer the "Disney version" of Nature, doncha?

[biabouman41]

05:46 PM on 02/26/2011

That is the human condition my friend. Nothing gross about it.