Fifteen PA Residents Receive Tainted Tissue Transplants
At least fifteen Pennsylvania patients have received tainted tissue and bone samples allegedly stolen from corpses by a Fort Lee, New Jersey company. The FDA recently recalled these donor tissues because they were taken from corpses without permission and have not been tested for serious diseases such as hepatitis and HIV.
Last week, Jefferson, Hahnemann and Temple hospitals reported ten cases of patients receiving tainted tissues from the Fort Lee company, Biomedical Tissue Services. Now, the Albert Einstein Medical Center in Pennsylvania has reported another four cases of patients receiving these contaminated samples. Last month, a Philadelphia woman contracted hepatitis C from a bone marrow transplant. Local hospitals say it is unclear exactly how many people in the Pennsylvania area have been affected, but say the number is small.
Authorities say that thousands of patients across the nation have received these tainted tissues. The FDA issued their health advisory on March 2, 2006, urging doctors to inform patients that may have received these samples to undergo screening for communicable diseases like HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis. This news has left thousands of consumers anxious to know if they have been affected by this alarming fiasco.
Since the FDA’s announcement, at least seven class action lawsuits have been filed on behalf of those who’ve received tissues from Biomedical Tissue Services. Michael Mastromarino—the owner of the defunct company that harvested bones and tissues from dead bodies without permission and without adherence to important safety standards—and three of his associates have been charged with 122 criminal counts of purchasing bodies from funeral homes without the deceased’s consent.
Pennsylvania hospital officials assure the public that the medical community is looking very closely at all tissue samples they receive for transplants. Others say that every effort has been made to inform those who may have been exposed to tissues from Biomedical Tissue Services.
If you are worried about you or a loved one’s recent tissue or bone transplant, you may wish to speak with your health care provider about your questions. If you have received these tainted tissues, you may wish to contact a qualified Pennsylvania attorney who can determine your legal rights and options and how best to pursue legal action against those responsible.
