California hospital fined for deadly blood transfusion

Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Southern California has been fined $25,000 by the state after nurses failed to follow blood transfusion protocol and a patient died as a result. A state Department of Public Health investigation found that in October 2008, a patient at Hollywood Presbyterian was given a blood transfusion that wasn't needed and was the wrong blood type. The transfusion lasted for 15 minutes before hospital staff realized the error. The patient later died.