Erik L. Peterson Negligence Law Blog on Lawyers.com

Newborn Mistakenly Given Morphine

Thursday, August 26, 2010 by Erik L. Peterson

According to KTLA, the family of a newborn who was accidentally given morphine is now suing a Mission Viejo hospital for medical malpractice. The medical mistake happened last year and the hospital was fined $50,000. The anesthesia error occurred after Jessica Blischke gave birth prematurely to triplets. According to the lawsuit, morphine was prescribed to ease Jessica’s pain but was accidentally administered to one of the triplets, Taylee, instead. Almost immediately, Taylee’s heartbeat slowed and doctors were forced to intubate her.

Although the use of anesthesia is generally safe and effective, when improperly administered – or given to the wrong patient – devastating physical damage can occur. When such errors occur, the medical provider at fault should be held responsible for his or her negligence.

The error in this instance went unnoticed until additional tests were performed and hospital staff recognized the medication error. Reports suggest medical errors occur to as many as 7% of all inpatients and cost the American economy upwards of $19.5 billion.

For more information or if you or a loved one has been injured as a result of an anesthesia error or any other medical error, please contact the law firm of Bostwick, Peterson & Mitchell, LLP, dedicated to helping those injured by medical negligence.

Posted at 00:20 AM

Topic: Negligence