Illinois Medical Malpractice Blog

Chicago medical malpractice lawyers applaud the recent multi-million dollar verdict for mother of a family who suffered a severe brain injury after a visit to a community hospital. The Times Herald-Record reported that the mother of five children was experiencing very low sodium levels when she went to the hospital. In order to improve her conditions, doctors rapidly infused her with saline solution. Unfortunately for the 42 year-old mother, the physicians raised her sodium levels too quickly, causing her to fall into a coma and have osmotic demyelination syndrome.

According to PubMed Health, osmotic demyelination syndrome is a condition where the layer that insulates the nerve cells in the brain stem is destroyed. Without the layer, impulses along the nerve cells are not properly and efficiently transmitted to the nerve cell. Instead, the impulses are slowed down, which decreases the nerve’s ability to communicate with other cells. The most common cause of osmotic demyelination syndrome is when a person’s sodium levels rise too quickly when being treated for low sodium levels. This was the exact situation for the mother in the instant case.

As a result of the doctor’s negligence, the mother suffered a severe brain injury. She is unable to read books, follow the plot in television programs, and even struggles to speak. Due to her medical needs, the family had to move her to a supported living facility in another state. The family that brought the medical malpractice brain injury lawsuit will use the money for home health services so that their mother can come home permanently. After three and a half weeks of trial, they were awarded $19.5 million for future medical and rehabilitation expenses.

Continue reading "$34 Million Malpractice Verdict Awarded to Family of Mother of Five " »

A story in the Washington Post recently commented on the new reports that indicate that there has been little to no reduction in the number of preventable medical errors in recent years—despite a claimed surge in efforts made by hospital to improve patient safety.

The story’s author, a doctor, explains how a patient suffered a potentially deadly allergic reaction following a medication error committed by several medical professionals. He described getting a call at 3am alerting him that his patient had suddenly spiked a fever. The doctor prescribed an antibiotic, suspecting an infection. However, in doing so the physician forgot his own note written in the patient’s chart alerting of an allergy to antibiotics. Along the way the nurse who administered the medication also failed to notice the problem as did the pharmacist who dispensed the drug. Three individuals had missed the clear warning sign, leading to an allergic reaction.

Preventable errors just like that occur with startling frequency at all hospitals. Despite recent attempt to limit those errors, the problems continue unabated. A recent report revealed that one in seven patients are victims of medical errors—the same figure reported in the first study of such issues ten years ago. The authors explain, “harm remains common, with little evidence of widespread improvement” in the last decade.

Continue reading "Hospitals Failing To Eliminate Preventable Deaths" »

The death of an 8-month child last week has sparked a local investigation into Tacoma’s Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital. As reported in The Olympian, this death involved a young daughter swallowing prescription medication. Authorities will are waiting the return of a toxicology test to more conclusively explain the cause of death.

Strangely this was the third young child killed in the area. The week before, a newborn was killed in route to Children’s Hospital after a medical mistake. A hospital staff member erroneously administered medication to the young child without any doctor’s orders. That medication error caused the infant’s death.

Two days after that tragedy, an 8 month old child died at the same hospital following an overdose of calcium chloride. An investigation into that particular accident led to the conclusion that it was an “adverse event,” meaning that the mistake should have been prevented.

As this string of terrible child deaths shows vividly, when dealing with young bodies, medication mistakes often have tragic consequences. The protective systems of the body are yet to be fully developed in these young infants, meaning that inappropriate drugs or inappropriate doses of drugs entering these bodies can wreak much more damage than if given to an adult or even an older child.

Our Chicago medical malpractice lawyers at Levin & Perconti understand these risks all too well. Our legal team has dealt with many instances of medication problems that have had deadly consequences. Our medical malpractice attorneys have also worked frequently on errors involving infants and young children. We work hard to ensure that the legal rights of the families that have been traumatized by these preventable mistakes are protected.

The Seattle PI reported this week and a tragic medical mistake that took the life of a young infant at a local Children’s Hospital.

On September 17th a young infant girl was being transported in the hospital in preparation for a transplant. However, for reasons that staff members still claim not to understand, a hospital employee administered a drug to the infant without doctor permission. The infant died shortly after receiving the medication.

The infant death was only the latest in a string of mistakes at this particular hospital. An adult patient recently fell severely ill after staff members wrongly administered medication. He had entered the facility with life-threatening respiratory distress. An 8-month old girl died at the hospital after inexplicably being given ten times the prescribed does of calcium chloride. On top of that, a year and half ago another patient, an autistic teenage boy, was killed after being given a lethal dose of painkiller by hospital staff. The teenager was prescribed a fentanyl patch which is typically only used for cancer patients or people with narcotics tolerances.

After the string of errors the state Department of Health has launched an investigation into the hospital, reviewing systematic procedures and processes that may have contributed to the medical mistakes.

Our Chicago medical malpractice attorneys at Levin & Perconti understand the devastation caused when a medical mistake takes the life of a young child. There is simply no amount of compensation that can recover the losses sustained following these tragic incidents. Nonetheless, we have worked for decades to help preserve the legal rights of families following these errors.

A big reason for the need to honor legal rights and obligations is to ensure that the negligent facility takes appropriate steps to prevent the possibility of the harm occurring in the future. As this case demonstrates, often a single facility is responsible for repeated errors—mistakes that literally end lives. If you or someone you know has suffered in a similar way, please contact a medical malpractice lawyer today.

News Oklahoma recently discussed a severe medical care problem that has not received as much attention as it deserves—the shortage of critical medications at many hospitals.

Unknown to most of the public, many hospital are suffering through the worst shortage of critical drugs in many years. The consequences of the shortage are seen most prominently in operating rooms across the country. Specifically, medical professionals are finding that drugs like propofol, forms of epinephrine, and succinylcholine are all in short supply. Each of those drugs is crucial for surgical procedures. Pharmacists, anesthesiologists, and even the U.S. Food and Drug Administration admit that the problem is severe and in dire need of correction. The consequences are simply too high to downplay.

For example, the medication shortage leads to patients waking up in the middle of operations and in several cases, directly to patient deaths. The specialized form of epinephrine is especially necessary in cases of cardiac arrest. When a patient suffers the heart problem, it is essentially for medical professionals to have immediate access to the drug in an effort to restart the patient’s heart. However, some have already admitted that patients have died because of the lack of quick usage of the drug.

A recent survey conducted by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices indicate that more than one third of the 1,800 health professionals who responded admitted that the shortage has led to medical errors that have harmed patients. In total about 1,000 medical mistakes were reported as a result of the unavailable of about 50 different drugs.

Our Chicago medical malpractice lawyers at Levin & Perconti are appalled at the loss of life and increased patient suffering caused by lack of proper medication. When patients arrive at a hospitals for emergency medical care, without question they should expect the facility to have access to the life saving drugs and equipment necessary for their survival. Failure in that regard is an egregious medical mistake that cannot be tolerated.

Softpedia News published a story last week regarding a troubling medical mistake that doctors often commit—prescribing antibiotics to patients who have viral infections.

The news story refers to the findings of a recent medical study in an issue of the Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. The report raised concerns that doctors were misusing antibiotics when treating patients suffering from respiratory tract infections.

The total number of mistakes is surprisingly high. The study examined just two hospitals, but found that of 196 patients diagnosed with viral infections, 125 of them continued to take antibiotics. That means that virtually two out of three patients with viral infections were given improper medication—an obvious medical error that doctors should be well trained to avoid.

Besides wasting time and resources on a medication that will not improve their condition, these antibiotics may also cause problems for those infected with viruses. Specifically, the researchers note that the taking of antibiotics has been known to cause various problems, including Clostridium difficile diarrhea. Those patients taking antibiotics when not necessary were found to have higher mortality rates and longer stays in the hospital. Clearly this particular medication error harms those unfortunate patients who fall victim.

Our Chicago medical malpractice attorneys at Levin & Perconti encourage all patients who may have suffered a medication error to contact a lawyer today. Doctors have a duty to use their medical expertise in a way that provides patients with a certain quality of care. When a doctor prescribes the wrong medicine or the wrong dosage or fails to prescribe medicine that is needed, he or she may have committed medical malpractice.

We have posted several stories over the summer involving the increase in medical errors related to new residents entering hospitals across the country.

New residents, or doctors-in-training, begin their first shift at the beginning of July each year. Research continues to pour out that categorically demonstrates a significant increase in medical mistakes committed by these residents.

For example, the United States National Library of Medicine published the results of a new study which sought to measure this “July Effect.” Specifically, the study examined the number of medication errors that occurred at hospitals across the country in July as compared to other times of the year. The comprehensive evaluation examined over 62 million death certificates over the past 27 years. From that they culled near 250,000 deaths related to medication errors.

The researchers then conducted a plethora of analysis on that data to compare the timing and location of the errors. In summary, they discovered that that July Effect did in fact bear out in all locations that had a teaching hospital where new residents could be found. The errors caused by doctors’ prescribing dangerous medications spiked by 10% in the month when new residents began prescribing drugs to patients.

Our Chicago medical malpractice attorneys at Levin & Perconti believe that all patients deserve to be treated by medical professionals who can provide a reasonable standard of care. It is simply unacceptable for certain patients to suffer debilitating loss merely because they happened to be treated by an inexperienced new doctor-in-training. If you have any concerns about the competence of the medical care that you or a loved one has received, please contact a medical malpractice lawyer today to learn more about your rights. The only way to force those in decision-making positions to change their negligent behavior is to hold them accountable for the preventable medical errors that they continue to allow.

Justice News Flash is reporting on a recent egregious medical mistake out of Mission Viejo, California.

Jessica Blischke gave birth to premature triplets in a Caesarean section pregnancy at a local hospital in early April last year. To ease her physical pain following the complex pregnancy, Blischke was prescribed morphine. However, for reasons still unclear, the medical professionals somehow switched Blischke’s IV with the IV of one of her newly born infants, Taylee. Instead of the mother receiving the strong pain medication, 4 milligrams of morphine were actually deposited into the veins of the premature infant. Taylee’s heartbeat immediately dropped to dangerous levels following the medical error. Doctor’s were forced to rush to incubate her so that her body could return to normal breathing levels.

Following the incident doctors were clueless as to the cause of Taylee’s sudden heartbeat drop. Tests were performed which revealed the presence of opiates in the newborn’s system, but that still was not enough to convince the doctor that a mistake had been made. In fact, the local doctor had the gall to suggest that Blischke herself must have done something to the newborn to create the problem.

Eventually the truth was revealed when the opiate levels in Taylee’s body were compared to that of her two sisters—each of whom had no opiates at all.

The state department of health eventually fined the hospital $50,000 when they became aware of the mistake. Blischke has also retained counsel and has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against the hospital.

Medical errors that affect newborn children are often the most emotional and costly mistakes a healthcare provider makes. Young children are the most helpless patients in any hospital—they cannot ask questions and are entirely dependent on the medical professional to receive proper care. Also, their bodies are less developed and therefore more prone to complications following medical errors. No medical mistake that harms a newborn should be tolerated.

Our Chicago medical malpractice lawyers at Levin & Perconti have decades of experience helping the families of newborns protect their legal rights and receive necessary redress for the errors. If you or someone you know has similarly suffered, please contact our offices today.

The month of July is typically known as a time of fireworks, ice cream, and sandcastles on the beach. But startling new research suggests that the mid-summer month also has a more sinister reputation. The LA Times recently reported of a new study out of the University of California San Diego that July marks the riskiest time of the year seek medical care at some hospitals throughout the country.

In what many experts term the “July Effect” medical errors increase in all hospitals that are used as teaching facilities because it is this month that new, inexperienced residents are first introduced into the hospital. The research found that fatal medical mistakes spike nearly 10% in July as compared to all other months of the year. The increase in preventable deaths occurs in hospitals that are used as teaching institutions.

The researchers suggested that the findings lead even more support to the idea that the responsibilities of new medical residents need to be reevaluated and their supervision should be increased. With life and death literally hanging in the balance, it would be hard to find anyone disagreeing with their assessment.

Interestingly, medical education reforms along those lines were recently proposed by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. The new rules would limit the number of hours that inexperienced medical residents could work and ensure that proper supervision was provided for these new doctors. The new rules were pursued as studies continue to pour out which confirm that new medical residents are responsible for over 50% of the medical errors, leading to severe harm to the patients in their care.

While it may be impossible to avoid seeking medical help in the month of July, no one should have to sacrifice the medical care they receive. Our Chicago medical malpractice attorneys at Levin & Perconti are tireless advocates for the rights of patients to be free of medical negligence. We have won numerous multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts for patients who were victims of inexperienced medical professionals. If you or someone you know may have experience medical negligence this month, or any month, be sure to contact an attorney immediately.

Earlier this week Dr. Stephen Schneider and his wife, nurse Linda Schneider were found guilty of illegally prescribing painkillers to patients, reports Over the Line News. The verdict marks the culmination of this high profile case, where the medical error is said to have caused the death of 68 patients.

The Schneiders had run what is known as a “pill mill,” illegally prescribing huge amounts of potent painkillers with little to no regard for the safety of patients. Time Magazine explains that the guilty medical professionals continually dispensed opiods in too many circumstances and too large amounts. Opiods include drugs like oxycodone and fentanyl and are well-known as addictive substances that all too often lead to overdose deaths. All doctors know that they need be prescribed with the utmost care and with clear warning to patients.

Money was the motivating factor for the Schneiders, as their medical decisions were based more on the cash they could earn by prescribing the pills than the safety of the patients who asked for them. Dr. Schneider became known the “The Candyman” as he developed a reputation for doling out the dangerous medications to whoever would pay.

Medication errors such as the deadly example here are just one form of medical malpractice. Failure to provide the proper type and dosage of medication is a common and deadly form of medical negligence. Pharmaceutical medication error also occurs when doctors and other medical professionals fail to educate patients on the proper use and safety risks of the medication they prescribe.

Our Chicago medical malpractice lawyers at Levin & Perconti have decades of experience fighting for victims of medication error. Any time you seek medical help, you have a right to receive fair, accurate, and professional care and information from doctors, nurses, and all medical staff members. Whenever that care falls below the reasonable standard to which you are entitled, be sure to contact a contact an attorney to ensure your rights are protected.

According to a recent report by ABC News, researchers at the University of California at San Diego have found that the rate of medication errors increase in July at teaching hospitals throughout the country. This spike coincides with the arrival of new medical residents who are just beginning their clinical training. The “July Effect” has always been talked about, but the new study links a 10 % increase in medication errors with these changes in personnel.

An experienced physician cited in the article was not surprised by the study’s findings. He attributes these often-fatal medical malpractice mistakes to the fact that residents are inexperienced in caring for patients and are in the process of trying to learn a new system and new set of procedures. Many medical residents are adjusting to longer shifts and face sleep-deprivation. A Boston Globe article from October 2009 linked less sleep to more complications and noted that the rate of complications when a doctor had less than six hours of sleep was 2.8% higher than when a doctor had more than 6 hours of sleep before a procedure. A Mayo Clinic study in the September 23, 2009 Journal of the American Medical Association mirrored these results, noting that residents who were sleep-deprived were more likely to perform a medical error.

In order to avoid the “July Effect” hospitals and residency program directors must raise awareness surrounding the issues of medical and medication errors and work with residents to prevent them from happening. Program directors should stress the importance of having new residents ask senior residents or attendings for help if there is an issue they are unsure of. Programs should also work with new residents to help them manage their sleep and new workload. The ABC article also notes the implementation of new software that checks for prescription errors may help to quell the July Effect in teaching hospitals.

To read more about the new study on medication errors follow the link.

The Chicago Tribune is reporting that half of all automated Spanish versions of prescriptions have errors. They base this on a study that found that pharmacies that print prescription labels that translate into Spanish oftentimes have inaccurate or confusing instructions. These prescription errors can be potentially hazardous to a patient’s health. These researchers looked at over 70 medicine labels to come to the conclusion that the margin of error on translated prescriptions is 50 percent.

One example is that an anemic patient was placed on iron supplements. It was discovered after the patient had no improved iron levels that he had only been taking one drop of the supplement instead of the amount the doctor had prescribed. The patient was not taking the right amount because he was confused by the prescription instructions. One common problem in translated prescriptions is that once in Spanish means eleven. It can cause great problems when a prescription says take once a day, and a patient takes 11. Another problem is that English prescription instructions are not standardized. Since the same instructions can be written in multiple ways, it is difficult to translate every word to match the doctor’s wishes. These medical errors take place in Chicago pharmacies and hospitals throughout the city’s Spanish speaking neighborhoods.

These problems highlight why doctors and pharmacists need to go over all instructions with their patient’s to explain to them what doses and drugs need to be ingested. To read more about the medical error study, please click the link.

A Medical Center is investigating after a child wrongfully died in their care following an organ transplant. The two-year old’s death may have possibly been the result of an accidental overdose of the blood thinner heparin. They recently released a statement declaring that they were investigating the death after an apparent overdose of a blood thinner. According to Action 3 news, the patient was at the hospital for a multi-organ transplant. After she received the transplant she was readmitted to the hospital with an infection. The virus caused the victim’s kidneys to shut down, requiring her to receive dialysis. It was at the hospital where the 23-month girl died from an infection.

In reality the blood thinner that can be a life-saver during a hospital stay can turn deadly if this blood thinner is given in too high of a dose. According to Omaha.com heprin can cause immediate problems if given in too high of a concentration. This will cause internal bleeding, which can be life-threatening. No one is exactly sure how the overdose occurred. Many of the hospital staff believes the medical malpractice occurred when the setting on the IV pump was not checked properly.

The medical center has already arranged for travel for the family and funeral expenses. Also the medical center is trying to be proactive in sharing this information with other hospitals on what they are trying to do to prevent these occurrences. This hospital is taking important steps to reduce medical error. By sharing new safety implementations with other hospitals, fewer patients will die as a result of a heparin overdose.

A doctor who specializes in pain and addition is facing a wrongful death lawsuit. This lawsuit was filed by the family of a former patient who state that the victim became addicted to drugs while under the doctor’s care before he committed suicide. The medical malpractice lawsuit states that the doctor turned the victim into a drug addict through a regular regimen of addictive painkillers and anti-anxiety drugs. The 30-year-old then killed himself with an overdose of pills prescribed from the pain clinic where the doctor works. The victim first sought out the doctor for back pain and was prescribed oxycodone months before the MRI confirmed an injury. The doctor never referred the victim to a drug addiction specialist. The doctor actually specializes in urology despite his advertisements which state that he works in pain and addiction. The doctor’s deception could lead to medical malpractice. To learn more about the wrongful death lawsuit, please click the link.

The family of a man has sued the drug store Rite Aide, alleging that a medical error at the pharmacy led to the victim’s premature and wrongful death. The medical malpractice lawsuit alleges that Rite Aid pharmacists were negligent when they issued a lethal dose of chemotherapy drug to the man, who developed malignant melanoma that had spread to his brain in 2007. The prescription instructed the man to take 14 capsules by mouth daily of the drug which was ten times the usual dose of the drug and almost double of what is known to be fatal. The man took the excessively high dose, which allowed his cancer to rapidly grow and led to his premature death. The actions of the pharmacist were grossly negligent. The doctor who issued the prescription admitted his medical error and settled with the family out of court. Mislabeling prescriptions is a common form of medical malpractice. To read more about the medical malpractice case, please click the link.

One mother had to watch her 23-year-old son snorting crushed pain pills after doctors gave her son what could have been lethal amounts of prescription pain killers. The state’s department of health led to investigations that found that two doctors had committed medical malpractice by improperly prescribing pain killers and muscle relaxers to her son. He gave the young man a prescription calling for 270 pills of Roxycodone for pain and Xanax to treat anxiety. He also did not test his patient to confirm claims that the patient was suffering from juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. He is also accused of improperly filing prescriptions in the clinic. A medical malpractice offer of suspension of the doctor’s medical license until evaluation, 100 hours of community service and a $10,000 fine has been given to a physician. To read more about the medical malpractice settlement, please click the link.

An issue of Women's Health this summer touched upon issues that concern a lot of Levin & Perconti blog readers - how to avoid medical mishaps. We wanted to share the startling statistics that the magazine provided. Each year, nearly 1.5 million Americans are injured by medication errors and up to 98,000 die in hospital due to medical errors. To avoid being a victim, Women's Health suggested that you always check your prescriptions, find rested workers, and personalize your case file.

To read more about how to take control of your medical care.

Ninety-two veterans were given incorrect radiation doses in an attempt to treat their prostate cancer at a veterans’ hospital. Although the treatment equipment was broken, the hospital continued to treat the veterans. Thus far no medical malpractice suits have been filed against the hospital. If you know someone who has been medically mistreated, consider contacting a medical malpractice attorney.

Read more about the medication dosing errors here.

A mother claims that a doctor overmedicated psychiatric medications to her son who later committed suicide and now has filed a medical malpractice action against the doctor. Some of the medications given to her son are not approved for treatment of children. The boy died of a sudden heart attack in his hospital room where he was being treated for his mental illness.

Read more about the medical malpractice suit here.

According to an article, medication errors account for 78% of serious medical errors in the intensive care unit.” There are strategies to prevent such medical errors including: eliminating extended physician work schedules, computerizing orders and intravenous devices, having pharmacists participate in the ICU, reconciling medications upon admission to or discharge from the ICU, and maintaining detailed up-to-date medication lists. Preventing these medication errors would also lead to less medical malpractice litigation.

Read more about medical error prevention here.