Medication Error and Medical Malpractice

Each year medication errors injure over 1.5 million people. Some facilities experience at least one medication error per patient per day. If you have been injured or a family member has been injured or died as a result of a medication error, contact a lawyer at Pritzker | Ruohonen for a free consultation. You may call 1-888-377-8900 (toll-free), e-mail attorney Fred Pritzker, or submit the firm's free case review form.

Medication Error News and Topics

Compounding Pharmacy Error Settlement

We have recently settled a wrongful death cases involving a compounded medication that was 10-times stronger than the prescription called for. The medication was compounded by a compounding pharmacy which was not subject to regulation by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and do not have to comply with the very strict statutes and regulations governing the development, formulation and testing of prescription drugs. Read about the compounding pharmacy error settlement.

Pharmacist Malpractice

A pharmacist has a degree and holds himself or herself out as having the training and ability to accurately fill prescriptions. Pharmacists are, therefore, held to a high duty of care (standard of care) that requires absolute accuracy in order processing. Read more about pharmacist malpractice.

Medication Error: Heparin Overdose a Known Risk

Hospitals are still making medication errors regarding Heparin. In November 2007, three infants were reportedly the victims of a medical error involving an overdose of Heparin while at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in California. In 2006, three infants died after the same mistake was made in an Indiana hospital. The 2006 heparin deaths prompted the FDA to notify health professionals of the potential for life-threatening medication errors involving two similar-looking Heparin products (see photo).

Medication Errors: Drug Labels Used for Clinical Trials

The way drug manufacturers label drugs used for clinical trials (“investigational drugs”) can lead to medication errors. Read about drug labels and medical errors during clinical trials.

Medication Errors: Drug Names Used for Drug Trials

The way drug manufacturers identify drugs used for drug trials (“investigational drugs”) can lead to medication errors. Read about drug identification and mediction errors during clinical trials.

Medication Error: Insulin-Heparin Mix-up

Insulin-heparin mix-ups have been reported in U.S. hospitals. What happens is nurses grab a vial of insulin thinking it is heparin and add it to an I.V. solution. As reported in the November issue of Nursing, in at least 2 cases infants died after receiving insulin mistakenly added to parenteral nutrition (PN) infusions. Read more about insulin-heparin medication errors.

Medication Error during Hospital Admittance Results in Medication Overdose and Lithium Carbonate Toxicity

Medication error cases often involve errors during admittance to a hospital that lead to the administration of dangerous, sometimes fatal, doses of medication. In a recent case, a 10-year-old patient at Memorial Hermann Baptist Behavioral Health Center in Texas was given twice the recommended dosage of lithium carbonate. The medication error allegedly began with an admitting nurse incorrectly reporting the amount the patient had been prescribed and continued with doctors and other hospital personnel not catching the mistake. The young boy quickly suffered serious, permanent injury due to lithium carbonate overdose. Learn more about possible claims in a medication error lawsuit involving hospital admittance.

Medication Error Lawsuits: Common Medication Errors

Possible medication errors include administering the wrong dose, prescribing the wrong medication, and other mistakes. Learn more about common medication errors.

Walgreens Precription Error Lawsuits

A jury found that a Walgreens pharmacist gave a patient blood-thinner medication 10 times stronger than her doctor had prescribed. Jurors concluded the error caused the 42-year-old patient to suffer a serious stroke. Read more information on Walgreens prescription error and a Walgreens lawsuit.

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Rich Ruohonen recently chaired a legal seminar on obtaining compensation for pain and suffering in a personal injury case. Rich uses his knowledge, experience, and reputation to maximize recoveries for clients.

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Pritzker | Ruohonen attorneys Fred Pritzker and Elliot Olsen recently secured a $950,000 recovery on behalf of a young man who developed septic arthritis eight days following knee surgery.

Pritzker | Ruohonen Newsletter

Pritzker | Ruohonen is now publishing its newsletters online. Sign up today to receive the newsletter via email. Read our newsletters: Spring 2008 and Summer 2008.

Dental Malpractice: Oral Surgery and Burn Injuries

The FDA has recently stated that poorly-maintained dental equipment has resulted in severe burns. These cases could involve both dental malpractice and product liability claims.

Hospital Malpractice Lawsuits

Hospital malpractice includes any type of medical negligence that occurs in a hospital setting, including errors by doctors, nurses, technicians and other hospital staff.

Neurosurgery Errors

Surgical errors are common and can lead to serious injury or death. In an article in the medical journal Neurosurgery that reported on a study of 1108 elective neurosurgical procedures, a neurosurgeon recorded 2684 errors in 87.1% of the cases. 22.6% of the errors were considered major. 78.5% of the errors were deemed preventable.