Wrongful Death Lawsuit Involving Infant Settled for $8.25 Million

Chicago, IL (Law Firm Newswire) June 26, 2012 – A recent wrongful death lawsuit stemming from the tragic death of an infant in a hospital has been settled. Advocate Lutheran General Hospital will pay $8.25 million to settle the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the parents of Genesis Burkett. Genesis was born premature, but was expected to do well, until he was mistakenly given an overdose of sodium chloride, 60 times the recommended dosage.

“Medical errors of this kind too often end in tragedy,” said Robert Briskman, a Chicago birth injury attorney not involved in this case. “Families who suffer the death of a loved one through another person’s negligence need to know that they can seek justice through the legal system.”

Administering such a high dosage of the drug was said to clearly be a preventable mistake. It was sixty times what the physician prescribed. The very large error was attributed to a data entry problem, when the incorrect dosage was keyed into a machine for mixing the IV solution.

Medication errors are some of the most commonly made mistakes in clinical settings. Approximately 450,000 medication errors are made each year in the United States. Hospital costs each year associated with these errors have been estimated at $3.5 billion to $29 billion.

A number of factors contribute to the high number of patient medication errors. One such factor is the large number of steps – often as many as 100 – involved from the moment that a medication is first prescribed to its delivery. Due to the number of steps and complexity involved, there are ample opportunities for mistakes to be made.

Interruptions in the medication delivery process also contribute to mistakes. Common interruptions include nurses being asked questions by other nurses and patient family members, device monitor alarms, and overhead pages.

Steps can be taken to eliminate many of the factors leading to medication errors. A knowledgeable Chicago personal injury attorney can help to determine if a medication error caused a wrongful death.

Robert Briskman is a Chicago wrongful death attorney and Chicago personal injury lawyer with Briskman Briskman & Greenberg.

Briskman Briskman & Greenberg
351 West Hubbard Street, Ste 810
Chicago, IL 60654
Phone: 312.222.0010
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