For any individual, dealing with a serious medical condition or illness can be both physically and emotionally draining. When a child is ill, however, the impact on an entire family is often magnified. Parents who have children that require hospitalization often rely heavily upon the hospital’s doctors and nurses for support, guidance and medical expertise.
Likewise, parents who entrust the care of their children to a hospital and medical team typically believe that their child is receiving the best medical care with minimal risk. Sadly, this is not always the case as two recent medical malpractice lawsuits involving medication errors prove.
The cases involve the tragic deaths of two young boys who were both patients at the same hospital. According to the lawsuit, the hospital is accused of knowingly ordering drugs from an unaccredited compounding pharmacy. Last year, this same compounding pharmacy was found to have produced and distributed batches of contaminated medications that resulted in the deaths of 64 people.
The youngest of those victims were a four-year-old boy and six-year-old boy. Both were patients at the same hospital and both had undergone heart surgeries. The two boys also subsequently developed severe infections after being given the tainted medications which were used to suspend cardiac activity during their heart surgeries.
In the lawsuits, the hospital and its director of pharmacy are accused of knowingly purchasing and administering drugs known to not be FDA-approved. The main motivation for using the drugs as cited in court documents was cost.
Individuals or families who have been adversely impacted by medication errors may choose to take legal action. Medication errors can include those in which the wrong medication is administered or an incorrect dosage is given. These types of medical mistakes can adversely impact patients and may result in harm, injury or even death.
Source: The Tennessean, “Drug compounder blamed in deaths of 2 Nevada childen,” Walter F. Roche Jr., Oct. 18, 2013
