Author Topic: Thousands of DWI cases in Harris County thrown into question after blood vial recall  (Read 437 times)

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Online Elderberry

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Houston Chronicle by  Samantha Ketterer and St. John Barned-Smith June 21, 2019

Thousands of drunken driving cases in Harris County will be reviewed after a recall of potentially faulty vials used to hold samples for blood-alcohol tests, according to the district attorney’s office.

The recall by the vial manufacturer could jeopardize drunken-driving cases nationwide, and at least 7,800 local cases have been identified with blood evidence that could have used vials named in the recall, officials said.

“This is a serious issue for caseworkers,” said Peter Stout, the forensic center’s CEO and president. “These are vials that blood alcohol samples are collected into, across the whole country.”

The Houston Forensic Science Center announced Friday that the New Jersey vendor, BD, had recalled the vials because of an error “that could change the results of blood alcohol analysis.”

It’s unknown how many vials in Harris County could be compromised — though 300 vials were wrongly manufactured in a lot of 240,000, according to BD. The company has recovered 199 of those vials, but urged agencies to destroy unused products from the lot, produced since Aug. 31, 2018.

“Our primary objectives are patient and user safety and providing you with quality products,” the company said in a June 12 letter. “We apologize for any inconvenience this issue may have caused you and thank you in advance for helping us to resolve this matter as quickly and effectively as possible.”

The recalled vials do not include preservatives that prevent blood from clotting. Without that preservative, the blood alcohol content can change over time, the company said. Officials will review the vials to look for evidence of clotting.

More: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Thousands-of-DWI-cases-in-Harris-County-thrown-14028651.php