Hospitals replenish blood supplies as agencies await testing

ATLANTA - Some hospitals in Georgia and Tennessee slowly replenished their blood supplies Wednesday, as health officials continued to investigate what caused white particles to show up in blood supplies last week. <br> <br> Kevin Bloye of the Georgia Hospital Association said some hospitals will not have blood supplies up to normal levels until midweek next week. <br> <br> Some blood supplies in Red Cross regions in Georgia and Tennessee were quarantined last week, when a total of 120 units of blood were found with white particles. <br> <br> Test results expected Wednesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to identify the particles were not released. CDC spokesman Dave Daigle said the results likely would be announced Thursday. <br> <br> Blood supplies have been affected from Florida to parts of southern Illinois, southwest Kentucky and eastern Missouri. <br> <br> Previous tests found the particles were not caused by an infectious agent, and Georgia health officials have found no adverse effects among patients who have recently received Red Cross blood. <br> <br> Bag manufacturer Baxter International Incorporated said their tests indicate the particles are natural components of blood and are not caused by the bags. <br> <br> So far, Georgia has received about 5,100 units of blood from out of state for hospitals. Bloye said about 1,700 more units were expected Wednesday, adding that blood donations in Georgia have increased by 20 percent above normal for this time of year. <br> <br> Spokeswoman Susan Bates of Southeast Georgia Health System&#39;s Brunswick campus had to quarantine 70 percent of its blood supply -- about 80 units -- last week but has not had to postpone any surgeries.