In a recent Baltimore pharmacy error injury blog, our attorneys discussed a pharmacy misfill and medication error that lead to a 94-year-old nursing home resident’s wrongful death in New York, after she received the incorrect medication for nearly twenty days as a result of a pharmacy misfill.
In a related news report, a patient in a nursing home, also in the State of New York, has recently died, after medication errors allegedly led to her wrongful death.
The patient reportedly entered the Lake Ridge Care Center on the 10th of January in 2010, due to congestive heart failure and low potassium. Her doctor reportedly ordered that the she receive three doses (two-tablets) of potassium every day. According to the New York State investigation, the staff of the home failed to properly administer twenty-six of the medication doses to the patient over a period of eight days.
On January 23, 2011, the patient was reportedly sent to the hospital emergency room, where she suffered a severely abnormal heart rhythm and died the same day, from cardiac arrest. Her potassium levels were found to be extremely low, due to medication errors that led her to miss her prescribed potassium doses to help blood pump through the heart.
The investigation also found that the nursing home mishandled other medication for the resident, along with other patients at the care center in January and February of this year. The investigation found that the medication errors were due to oversight, transcriptions errors in the nursing home, along with inadequate medication administration.
The Institute of Medicine reports that at least 1.5 million medication errors occur every year in this country—errors that are preventable. In Maryland and the Washington, D.C. area, our attorneys at Lebowitz and Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers represent victims of pharmacy misfills and medication error. Contact our lawyers today for a free consultation to discuss your rights, at 1-800-654-1949.
Medication errors tied to Buffalo nursing home, West Metro Star Tribune, June 24, 2011
Related Web Resources:
U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Medication Error Reports
Institute for Safe Medication Practices, (ISMP)
Medication Errors Harm 1.5M U.S. Residents Annually, Institute of Medicine Report Says, Medical News Today, July 25, 2006
U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Medication Error Reports
Institute for Safe Medication Practices, (ISMP)
Related Blog Posts:
Nursing Home Sued Again for Wrongful Death and Negligence, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, July 1, 2011
Walgreens Pharmacy Misfill Causes Dosing Error, Pharmacy Error Injury Lawyer Blog, June 21, 2011
Hospital Sued for Wrongful Death After Patient Dies from Drug Error, Pharmacy Error Injury Lawyer Blog, May 22, 2011
Prescription Error Overdose Leads to Paralysis, Victim Hopeful for Recovery, Pharmacy Error Injury Lawyer Blog, May 19, 2011
Pharmacy, Nursing Home Sued After Pharmacy Misfill Leads to Resident’s Death, Pharmacy Error Injury Lawyer Blog, January 7, 2011