Texas Blood Tissue Center Scandal
Blood and tissue centers are responsible for the collection and distribution of blood, bone, tendons, skin, and heart valves for the purpose of improving the quality of life for transplant recipients through the distribution of biological products. In the case of body parts distributed by BioMedical Tissue Services had the opposite effect, causing widespread disease and illness due to untested biological products. In some cases, patients contracted hepatitis and AIDS. On October 11, 2005 The Blood and Tissue Center of Central Texas issued a voluntary recall of all materials that were manufactured from BioMedical Tissue Services donor products.
Untested body parts were sold for profit by Biomedical Tissue Services from 2001 to 2006. Regeneration Technologies, Inc., Tutogen Medical, Inc., Lost Mountain Tissue Bank, Lifecell Corp. and The Blood & Tissue Center of Central Texas are just some of the major blood and tissue centers involved in the scandal. The FDA and most of the companies mentioned will not disclose how many patients received the untested body parts and tissue.
In February 2006, the proprietor of Biomedical Tissue Services was the primary target of a 122-count indictment. He and three of his co-workers were accused of stealing body parts from approximately 1,077 cadavers without the permission of relatives. The deceased were harvested from more than 30 funeral homes and their unscreened tissue was sold for profit using forged documents.
The countless cadavers in question were exhumed and examined to ensure the illegal harvesting occured. In some instances, hardware store tubing was used to replace the bones of the deceased. Funeral home operators are accused of accepting cash bribes from Biomedical Tissue Serices in exchange for approving forged death certificates and other conset forms. The illegal, unscreened tissues have been distributed throughout the country and employed in thousands of medical procedures.
If you have received biomedical tissue while undergoing a medical procedure, you may wish to consider enlisting the help of a personal injury attorney.
If you or a loved one has suffered an injury, illness or death, that seems to have been someone else's fault, call VanDerGinst Law at 1-866-843-7367 or click here for a FREE online case evaluation. The initial consultation is free of charge. If we agree to handle your injury case, we will work on a contingency fee basis, which means we get paid for our services only if, and when, there is a money recovery for you. In many cases a lawsuit must be filed before an applicable expiration date, known as a statute of limitations. So please call right away to ensure that you do not waive your right to possible compensation.
