Last year, actor Dennis Quaid’s newborn twins were given an accidental drug overdose by hospital staff. According to Quaid, the drug heparin “basically turned their blood to the consistency of water.” Heparin is an anti-coagulant given to patients during surgery or kidney dialysis. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills gave Quaid’s two week old twins a thousand times the recommended dose of the drug.
Last Sunday, Quaid discussed the experience with 60 Minutes, and it seems he is on the “warpath” against mistakes made in hospitals. Quaid quoted statistics released in 1999 by the Institute of Medicine which showed that nearly 100,000 people die a year because of hospital errors. He further quoted the IOM study, saying, “[G]ood people are working in bad systems that need to be made safer.” He also believes the problem is bigger than AIDS, breast cancer, and auto accidents.
More Trouble for Baxter
While Quaid’s twins are out of harm’s way now, he and his wife, Kimberley Buffington, are suing heparin’s manufacturer, Baxter International Inc. Claiming damages in excess of $50,000, the couple claims that Baxter failed to properly label the vials. They allege that the 10-units-per-milligram vials are almost identical to the 10,000-units-per-milligram vials. Baxter contends that hospital staff should have read the label closer.
This compounds the bad press Baxter has suffered lately. Heparin has most recently been in the news due to a contaminant found in shipments of the drug in the U.S. The contaminant sickened hundreds and has killed up to 20 patients who have taken the drug.
While Quaid and his wife are currently going after Baxter, the fact that Quaid has appeared on a popular television show to rail against hospital errors may bring more focus to a problem that many families are unsure how to deal with.
If you, or a loved one, have suffered due to hospital error, please contact an experienced personal injury lawyer in your area.
