Memphis Medical Malpractice Attorneys Discuss Medication Errors
People who seek medical care at hospitals, doctors’ offices, urgent care facilities, and other places trust that medical professionals who are rendering aid to them will, indeed, help them to become well again. Much of the time, that is exactly what happens. Unfortunately, people do sometimes die or experience serious injuries or illnesses because they have been given the wrong medication, or an incorrect dose of a medication that could have helped them had it been given properly. Medication errors are just one way that patients are harmed by medical malpractice, but they are one of the most common.
Sometimes, a medication error involves a medication which would have helped the victim if it had not been administered in an incorrect dosage. An example of a situation which involved this type of medication error occurred a few years ago. After a woman broke her shoulder, she developed an infection. She went to the hospital and asked them to treat the infection. As part of her treatment, she was prescribed a blood thinner. Unfortunately, the dose that she was prescribed was much higher than it should have been, and she died as the result of internal bleeding that could not be stopped.
Another case in which an incorrect dosage of a medication caused a patient to die happened in 2003. A twelve year old girl was to have an MRI. Before the MRI, she was given a sedative. Unfortunately, the dose of sedative that she received was four times greater than it should have been. The person who was responsible for determining how much sedative to administer had made a grave error in their calculation. As a result of receiving a dose of sedative that was far greater than what it should have been, the girl suffered from cardiac arrest. Her brain was deprived of oxygen for too long, and she developed a severe brain injury. Two days later, she died.
Medical malpractice can also result from a failure to prescribe appropriate medication. In 2010, a woman received treatment at a hospital. At the time that she was discharged from the hospital, she was not fully recovered, because she still had an infection near her heart. For some reason, she was not prescribed any medication to treat that infection at the time of discharge. The infection worsened, and she went back to the hospital a month later, because of it. After she was admitted to the hospital, her condition became worse and worse, until she passed away nine days after being admitted.
If you or someone that you love has been injured or killed by a medication error, it is essential that you get help from a Tennessee Medical Malpractice Attorney right away. The knowledgeable Memphis Medical Malpractice Attorneys at Bailey & Greer, PLLC are here to help you. We believe that the victims of medical negligence deserve top quality legal representation. To learn more about how we can help you, please call us at 901-680-9777 to schedule a time to discuss your case. At Bailey & Greer, PLLC, we are small enough to care, big enough to fight, and experienced enough to win.
Since graduating magna cum laude in 2005 from the University of Memphis School of Law, Thomas has helped make a difference in the lives of victims of serious personal injury, wrongful death, and professional negligence. Thomas has extensive trial experience in both state and federal court. Among other victories in the courtroom, Thomas obtained several impressive jury verdicts and settlements
Read more about Thomas R. Greer