NO evidence has been found to link a bacterial infection in a Dublin hospital last month with blood supplied by Pelican House in Dublin, the Blood Transfusion Service Board (BTSB) has said.
The board recalled 1,500 bags of blood last January after a patient got an infection following a transfusion at the hospital. The patient was successfully treated with antibiotics.
It was initially thought that the infection may have resulted from a fault in the type of Dutch made blood bag used in Pelican House. But in a statement issued last night, the BTSB said that an extensive investigation found "no evidence of bacterial contamination of the blood bags in question".
It also concluded that there was no evidence of any breakdown in the manufacturing procedures at the Dutch manufacturing plant.
In view of the findings, the BTSB said it had decided to reintroduce the blood bags for routine use.
The investigation included a physical inspection by BTSB staff of all the quarantined bags of blood at Pelican House and all hospital blood banks.
Independent environmental monitoring was also undertaken in the BTSB, including the monitoring of the transport system.
The BTSB said its equipment and transport passed all relevant tests.
Results of routine detailed environmental monitoring at the Dutch plant were also reviewed by the BTSB.
The board said that it and the Irish Medicines Board were satisfied that the bags used meet all European standards. "All aspects of blood supply will, of course, continue to be monitored very closely," it added.