A misplaced decimal caused the death of a 6-year-old girl, according to a recent lawsuit against a pharmacy.
The child was prescribed morphine to combat sickle cell anemia. Soon after her mother administered the medication in accordance with the pharmacy’s directions, the child showed symptoms of an overdose that proved to be fatal. A coroner’s report confirmed that morphine toxicity caused the girl’s death.
The pharmacy made a medication dosage error by making an liquid morphine solution that was 10 times stronger than it was supposed to be. Tragically, oral morphine concentration mistakes aren’t exactly rare. Morphine dosage errors routinely occur when the pharmacist is confuses milligrams and milliliters.
In 2007, approximately 27,000 people died from accidental prescription drug overdoses. While many of these are attributed to patient error, a significant portion involve pharmacy mistakes or negligent prescriptions from physicians who didn’t carefully review a patient’s list of medications.
If you or a family member suffered serious harm or death from a prescription medication, there may be medical negligence involved. An experienced Michigan medication errors attorney can help your family examine its legal rights following an overdose.
McKeen & Associates, P.C., is a Detroit-based injury law firm that litigates medical negligence cases throughout the country. If you’d like to discuss your situation with an experienced lawyer, contact McKeen’s office to arrange a free consultation.
Source: AboutLawsuits.com, “Pharmacy Lawsuit Alleges Error Resulted In Girl’s Fatal Morphine Overdose,” Irvin Jackson, Aug. 26, 2013
