In a clinic in Halle, blood samples from newborns have been adulterated - possibly for years.
During a laboratory test in Magdeburg on October 5, it was found that three of the samples submitted from the clinic's obstetrics and pediatric medicine were not from infants, but from adults, said the St.
Halle - Elisabeth and St. Barbara on Tuesday in Halle. The laboratory results showed very little fetal hemoglobin, i.e. the red blood pigment of an unborn or newborn. According to a letter from the board of directors, a person employed in the clinic is responsible for the manipulation.
According to the information, the newborn screening is used for the early detection of congenital metabolic defects, for example. The aim is to enable the sick children to develop normally through therapy or diet at an early stage. According to the clinic, the likelihood that a disease would go undetected in many children as a result of the manipulation is low, according to the clinic. Statistically speaking, there would be one child for every 1,000 births with a positive result. According to a spokesman for the hospital, there are currently around 800 samples that could have been adulterated.
A new screening parameter has been included in a legally binding manner since October 1st. Therefore, no irregularities were found in previous samples. In a follow-up examination with the new parameter, eight further samples, so-called reserve samples for quality assurance, were identified as adult blood.
A person employed in the clinic is said to have acted willfully.
"According to the current status of our research, the conversation with a person working in the hospital and official investigations, we assume that the blood samples have been deliberately falsified or manipulated by this individual," says a letter from the directorate to the employees, which is available to the German Press Agency.
The exact motive is not known.
The person has not been on duty since the middle of the month.
The State Criminal Police Office and the public prosecutor's office have reportedly started the investigation.
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The person had been employed in the relevant area since 2013.
The clinic will notify possible affected families in the coming weeks and invite them to a follow-up examination.
dpa
