Chicago Injury Attorney Blog

Fritzie and Cameron Burkett have filed a Chicago wrongful death lawsuit against Lutheran General Hospital. In their Cook County medical malpractice complaint, the couple claims that the hospital’s negligence caused their six-week-old son Genesis to die from a medication overdose.

Genesis, who was born prematurely died after receiving an overdose of sodium. His parents say that he was intravenously given over 60 times the prescribed dose, which caused his heart to stop. They blame a medication mistake on a pharmacy mix-up involving a technician filling an intravenous bag with a dosage much greater than what the doctor had prescribed. Their attorneys say that a sticker on the IV bag showed the amount that was prescribed for the infant but that it concealed the description of the amount that was in the bag.

The hospital has admitted that several medical mistakes happened. A spokesperson for Lutheran General Hospital says that a data entry error occurred in the “formation of the IV solution” and that the prescribed dose was incorrectly inputted into the machine that prepares the IV solutions.

Medication Mistakes
Medication errors, especially ones resulting in the overdose of an infant can prove fatal. Hospitals must ensure that they have the proper procedures and protocols in place so that mix-ups don’t occur.

Some Common Causes of Medication Mistakes:
• Inadequate information about a patient’s medical history
• Miscommunication about medication orders
• Illegible handwriting non-prescriptions
• Exhaustion
• Multitasking
• Inappropriate/confusing labeling or packaging
• Mixing up drugs with similar names or packaging

Medication errors that result in injury or death can be grounds for a Chicago hospital malpractice lawsuit.

Alleged IV overdose kills premature infant, 9News, April 6, 2011

Lutheran General Hospital Sued over Infant’s Fatal Overdose, MyFoxChicago, April 6, 2011

Related Web Resources:
Advocate Health Care

Hospital Medication Errors: Reducing Your Risk, WebMD

More Blog Posts:
Illinois Wrongful Death Complaint Blames Fentanyl Overdose, Medical Malpractice, and Slip and Fall for Husband’s Passing, Chicago Injury Attorney, August 30, 2010

Illinois Wrongful Death Lawsuit Alleges Medical Malpractice and Pharmacy Mistakes, Chicago Injury Attorney Blog, December 23, 2009

Lake County Family Wins More than $9 Million in Illinois Medical Malpractice Case Involving Son’s Wrongful Death, Chicago Injury Attorney Blog, December 18, 2008