from the Associated Press :
TAMPA, Fla. — Hospitals are removing or taping over patients’ LiveStrong bracelets for fear of a fatal mix-up.
The yellow bands are the same color as the “do not resuscitate” bands a hospital chain puts on patients who don’t want to be saved if their heart stops.
No mix-ups have been reported, but BayCare Health Systems officials don’t want to take any chances.
The popular rubber bracelets are sold through the Lance Armstrong Foundation. It’s part of the champion bicycle racer’s efforts to raise money for cancer education and research.
Hospitals use colored bracelets to quickly tell doctors, nurses and other staff special instructions for certain patients.
At BayCare Health hospitals, purple bands mean that the patient is at risk of falling. Red means the patient has allergies.
Not all hospitals use the same coloring system.