South Carolina Child Injury Lawyer Blog

While the days of pharmacists actually producing most of the medications we take are over, some dosage forms can only be made in pharmacies. This is especially true for liquid medications, when pharmacists have to prepare IV bags or make the liquid equivalent of a drug that usually comes in pill or capsule form. Such reconstituting can be error-prone, and pharmacists who mix or compound medication incorrectly can be liable for negligence, possibly even when a pharmacy technician incorrectly types information into a field on a screen. And, thus, when medical and pharmacy errors stemming from health information technology end up causing patient injuries and death, the entire system of digital medical communications is called into question.

For example, just last week a Chicago area hospital, Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, agreed to pay $8.25 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit brought against it by the parents of an infant boy who died after a series of medical errors initially triggered by an incorrectly compounded IV bag. The boy was born four months premature in 2010 and remained in the hospital's care for the next six weeks. Then, suddenly, the infant boy died after coming out of a heart operation without any clear complications from the operation itself.

The hospital determined that a pharmacy technician unwittingly entered information into a computer program when processing an electronic IV order for the infant, resulting in a massive sodium chloride overdose in the bag’s solution. The infant received 60 times the amount of sodium chloride prescribed by a physician. It was also found that the automated alerts in the IV compounding machine responsible for identifying such problems were not activated at the time when the customized bag was prepared for the infant. Additionally, the hospital discovered that the outermost label on the IV bag did not accurately reflect the compound's actual contents, and when a blood test on the infant showed an abnormally high level of sodium, a lab technician mistook the reading for an inaccuracy.

Continue reading "Pharmacy Error Leads to Series of Medical Miscues, Wrongful Infant Death and Criticism of Health Information Systems " »

Around three hours north of the offices of Howell and Christmas, LLC, Charleston accident and injury lawers, is Bennettsville, South Carolina, where last week a woman was charged with neglect in the death of her stillborn child. The 27-week-old child was delivered at Marlboro Park Hospital to a 29-year old woman who tested positive for cocaine in a test administered by hospital officials after the delivery.

The Marlboro County Coroner, Tim Brown, is awaiting the results of the autopsy to determine the exact cause of the infants death. The autopsy is being conducted at the Medical University of South Carolina in downtown Charleston.

Continue reading "South Carolina Woman Gives Birth to Stillborn and Arrested" »

South Carolina injury attorneys came across this troubling case that involves a medical malpractice suit filed against the United States after two deliveries were botched at two different military hospitals that resulted in the death of one child and left the other permanantly disabled. If the plaintiffs in these cases are successful the U.S. Government could potentially pay out a combined sum of over $20 million to the parents of the two children.

Last week a wrongful death lawsuit led to a U.S. District Senior Judge awarding $10.2 million to the family of a child born at the U.S. Naval Hospital down in Jacksonville. The child survived the delivery, but was left with severe brain damage due to the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. At the age of three the severe brain injuries culminated in a fatal seizure.

Continue reading "Delivery Mistakes at Military Hospitals Lead to Wrongful Death, Permanent Brain Damage, and Federal Pay Outs" »

We live in an age where good hygiene and healthy living are a near obsession. While much talk has been put forth about fixing the state of health care insurance, little attention has been given to the physical aspects of the industry.A recent report put out by the Food and Drug Administration suggests that problems inherent with medical devices and products combined with their misuse by medical professionals is causing harm to 70,000 children annually in the US. Specifically, these problems have been found in several areas, but those areas are ones that could possibly cause the greatest harm.

The most common injuries can result from common household items like contacts. If not kept properly clean, potentially debilitating eye infections can result. In other areas though, improper use of these products can cause great harm. Cited in the study as some of the most common problem areas found were "include puncture wounds from hypodermic needles breaking off in the skin while injecting medicine or illegal drugs; infections in young children with ear tubes; and skin tears from pelvic devices used during gynecological exams in teen girls." Unfamiliarity with the product being used by medical professionals could be one potential cause of injury in some of these cases. The study was the first ever to be conducted about the rate of device only injuries in Children.

The report cites particular concern with treatment that is administered at home, unsupervised by medical professionals. It states "The most serious problems involved implanted devices such as brain shunts for kids with hydrocephalus (water on the brain); chest catheters for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy at home; and insulin pumps for diabetics. Infections and overdoses are among problems associated with these devices." One of the doctors who reviewed the study had this to say "Health care providers need to be aware of these kids and their devices and how to recognize or diagnose" related problems, Krug said". Dr. Steven Krug, head of emergency medicine at Chicago's Children's Memorial Hospital. The researchers determined their findings by analyzing medical records from ER visits reported in a national injury surveillance system. They were able to estimate that 144,799 medical device-related complications occurred during 2004 and 2005, or more than 70,000 yearly.

Charleston Child Medical Malpractice Attorneys want to make the public aware of this study as it highlights potential dangers that could occur to a large segment of the population that is dealing with a loved one or dependent who is sick or injured. Proper education on the medical product being used and a good choice of competent medical personal will lower the risks involved for the caregivers.

Source: The State, "Medical device problems hurt 70,000+ kids annually",By Lindsey Tanner, July 27th, 2010