A nurse who caused the death of a 76-year-old patient by giving him the wrong type of blood has been given a suspended 18-month prison sentence.
Lea Ledesma, 49, was convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence following a trial at Southwark Crown Court in December 2016.
The trial heard how Ledesma was working in the intensive care unit of the London Heart Hospital in Marylebone when the incident happened on 7 May 2014.
That morning, Ali Huseyin, who was blood type O, received a unit of AB blood during a transfusion after Ledesma mixed up his name with another patient’s. Mr Huseyin died the same evening.
Daniel Jones, from the CPS, said:
“Lea Ledesma made inexcusable errors which ultimately cost the life of a patient in her care. The hospital had a number of systems in place designed to prevent such incidents happening but Ledesma failed in her duty to carry out the necessary checks.
“Ledesma initially tried to lay the blame elsewhere but the evidence put forward by the prosecution showed she had been grossly negligent in her actions.”
Ledesma received a custodial sentence of 18 months, suspended for two years, and a 300-hour unpaid work order.
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Note to Editors
Daniel Jones is a Specialist Prosecutor with the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division
