Freezer Malfunction Destroys Stem Cells Of Patients.

Due to a freezer malfunction at Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles destroyed the stored blood stem cells for as many as 56 patients. The cells were also of some of the patients who are fighting cancer.

On Wednesday, the hospital in a statement had apologized and had said that it has sent letters to affected families and has set up phone lines where parents can call if there are any questions. It also reassured that there is no danger to the health of any child

The hospital has said that these stem cells were collected from the patients and were in the long-term storage. They said that these cells were routinely collected early in the course of child’s oncology therapy for possible use in the future. When there is no need for excess cells, they are kept in storage in an event where they could be helpful in future, an event which is unlikely.

The temperature sensors of the freezer had failed and the safeguards which had been deployed turned out to be insufficient according to the hospital. Since then, a lot of changes have been implemented including the replacement of the freezer that has malfunctioned and upgraded the system of sensor monitoring and alert and the double checking of all the sources of power supply.

A person whose son had been one of the ones who were affected said that his son had gone through a tough process of getting the stem cells and he had burst out crying upon the reading of the letter that the hospital had sent them for notifying their failure.

The patients are worried that the cancer of their children might return with this however the hospital has assured them otherwise.