Medical Lessons Being Learned from a Hospital’s Mistake

St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia is reviewing its internal processes closely after a baby was given a “potentially lethal” chemotheraphy overdose early in October due to an alleged dosage calculation mistake by a staff member.

The incident was originally reported by NBC10, and occurred when “a miscalculation led to a daily dose that was 10 times higher than intended,” according to an Oct. 27 story by The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The child, an 11-month-old boy, was later transferred to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, according to NBC10.

The baby was being treated for an unusual and serious cancer with a drug called etoposide when the dosage error was made, the story said. A hospital report on the incident blamed a “typographical error,” the report continued, with the result being “a daily dose that was 10 times higher than intended – 33 milligrams per kilogram of the child’s weight instead of 3.3 mg.”

Five days of treatment at the higher dose were completed before the mistake was discovered and corrected, according to the story.

St. Christopher’s declined to talk about the incident due to patient privacy laws, the story reported. “We are deeply sorry that this situation occurred and are evaluating every step of our process in order to identify ways to prevent a situation like this from ever occurring again,” the hospital told the paper in a statement.

The ongoing health of the baby is certainly the overriding issue in this case and we hope that he gets through the treatment ordeal and the cancer he is fighting and fully recovers. We here at MyPhillyLawyer want to note that medical errors such as this one often have huge consequences for innocent patients.

The hospital taking immediate and strong steps to make sure this never happens again is a great first step to making such errors less likely at St. Christopher’s in the future.

These kinds of cases are a somber reminder that patients and their families must be vigilant about the medical care they receive so they know what is being done for a patient’s care every step of the way. But at the same time, patients and families aren’t doctors and they can’t know every question to ask.

That’s where skilled, expert, compassionate and thorough legal representation is needed by patients and their families who have been harmed by medical errors or omissions during their treatment. These kinds of cases happen on a regular basis, but they can be fought by legal teams that are prepared to battle for their clients’ rights all along the way to a fair settlement or to a just verdict.

We here at MyPhillyLawyer stand ready to assist you with your legal case if you or a loved one is ever seriously injured in a similar medical malpractice, birth injury or related case anywhere in the United States. We represent the families of victims who die in such tragedies as well, to ensure that their families receive every penny of damages that they are eligible to receive.

Call MyPhillyLawyer at 215-227-2727 or toll-free at 1-(866) 352-4572 anytime and our experienced, compassionate, aggressive team of attorneys and support staff will be there for you and your family every step of the way as we manage your case through the legal system.

When Winning Matters Most, Call MyPhillyLawyer.