Medication Mistake Results in Overdose and Wrongful Death
A Confidential Settlement Reached
Mr. K was a 66–year-old man who came to his local hospital after suffering a small stroke. Because of the stroke, Mr. K had difficulty swallowing and clearing his secretions. He was admitted to the intensive care unit (“ICU”) for monitoring and to receive specialized respiratory care.
A specialist in respiratory care prescribed various medications for Mr. K. Within minutes of the administration of one such medication, Mr. K stopped breathing and died. The nurse insisted that she gave precisely the amount of medication that had been ordered, though Mr. K’s death was consistent with an overdose. Unfortunately, it was a medication error.
At trial, The Eisen Law Firm used records from the hospital’s computerized drug distribution system to show that the nurse had withdrawn more of the medication than had been ordered. When confronted at trial, the nurse could not account for the discrepancy between the records and her story. The case was then settled in the middle of trial.