At St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, tragedies struck two families earlier this month when similar medication mistakes led to one mother delivering stillborn twins and another baby being born born with brain damage. The hospital has admitted to the medication errors and has apologized to both families.
In the first incident,Sharee Davis checked into St. Mary’s on September 4 for a cerclage, which is a routine procedure that was supposed to prevent her from delivering her twins prematurely. She was just 17 weeks pregnant.
Instead, the medication the hospital gave her induced labor and Davis delivered stillborn twins, a boy and a girl. Davis and James Andrews, the boy’s father, say that they plan to sue St. Mary’s for medical malpractice.
Several hours after Davis gave birth, another mother, who was 23 weeks pregnant, was administered the same medication-also incorrectly. She too went into premature labor and her baby suffered brain damage.
St. Mary’s says that the medication mix-ups happened despite its existing safeguards. The hospital is working with its doctors, nurses, and pharmacists to understand how the mistakes happened and to make sure that a similar mix-up doesn’t happen again.
Birthing Malpractice
Administering the wrong medication to a pregnant mother can lead to serious complications, including premature labor, stillbirths, brain damage, cerebral palsy, and other catastrophic birthing injuries. It is the responsibility of hospitals, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, obstetricians, and others responsible for the medical care of pregnant mothers and their babies to make sure that malpractice errors do not happen. Medical mistakes can be grounds for birthing malpractice or wrongful death claims and lawsuits.
Medication Mix-Up Results In Twins’ Deaths, MSNBC.com, September 20, 2008
Twins’ premature death blamed on hospital, WPTV.com, September 19, 2008
Related Web Resources:
Cervical Cerclage, American Pregnancy Association