FDA Investigating Del. Heparin Deaths

RANDALL CHASE

DOVER, Del. (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration said Monday that it is investigating the deaths of two Delaware hospital patients who were given the blood thinner heparin.

Officials at Beebe Medical Center in Lewes reported last week that three patients suffered adverse reactions after being given the drug last week. Two of the patients, a 71-year-old man who was transferred to Christiana Hospital in Newark, Del., and a 64-year-old woman taken to the University of Maryland medical center, died over the weekend. The third patient, a 68-year-old man, remained hospitalized Monday at Christiana. All three suffered cerebral hemorrhages.

"The FDA has been here and they've taken over complete control of the investigation," said Wallace Hudson, vice president of corporate affairs for Beebe.

"The whole point of this investigation is to find out if there's some unusual occurrence that would result in this outcome. We don't know," added Hudson, who was notified of the deaths Monday morning.

FDA spokeswoman Karen Riley said an agency representative traveled to Beebe on Friday night to collect intravenous bags, then drove them early Saturday to an FDA regional lab in Queens, N.Y. Initial testing did not reveal any problems, but samples have been shipped to another FDA lab in Cincinnati for further testing, Riley said.