60 Minutes-Dennis Quaid's Twins Drug Overdose | Arthritis Information

I think tonight on CBS, 60 Minutes will rerun the interview of Dennis Quaid whose newborn twins were twice given heparin, a blood thinner, at 1,000 times a pediatric dose. Quaid is suing the drug maker, Baxter, who was aware of fatalities occuring as the result of confusion over labels. Quaid's lawsuit however could be impacted by the Supreme Court's ruling on the Wyeth vs. Levine case which it will hear this November. Should the Supreme Court rule in favor of Wyeth (drug manufacturers) Quaid, as well as all consumers, would be blocked from pursuing drug liability lawsuits in state courts.

To read transcript of Quaid's 60 Minutes interview, see:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/13/60minutes/main3936412.shtml

Joie2008-08-24 17:31:54

I watched the Olympics wind down.. but that would have been interesting to hear.. what a terrible thing.. why can't things be labeled better??

This was an human error not a manufacturing error. Rule number one in any medication dispersal is to read the bloody label..plain and simple and the information was there to be found if the adminstrating nurse bothered to read it. I'm glad that Wyeth has changed the label to make it easier but the fault lies with the people giving the medications

[QUOTE=buckeye]

[/QUOTE]

Couldn't agree more. The heparin vials are clearly labeled and at least in my hospital, heparin is checked by two nurses before administering. All pediatric dosing is double checked in my hospital and I know most hospitals have the same policies when it comes to giving peds meds. This is not a manufacturing problem and I'm not sure why Quaid is going after the drug company and not the individuals and institution for administering this med. This is a nursing error pure and simple.

What the real problem here is that there is such a staffing problem with nurses/hospitals that the nurses get in too much of a hurry and these kinds of mistakes are made which is unfortunate. I'll bet that the policy was not followed as stated. If Quaid really wants to be effective and make a statement, go after the hospital for not staffing appropriately and causing this problem. That is the real issue. I think whenever something like this happens, besides looking at who is at fault, I think its an opportunity to make changes that would prevent medication errors from occurring again. The drug maker was aware of the problem of confusing the vials of different doses because of the similar labels. Both labels were shades of blue, and I think all of us know how difficult it is to read the tiny print on those small vials. So Baxter changed the labels, however it did not recall the old pediatric dose vials, and that is where Quaid feels they were negligent, hence his pending lawsuit.

There was human error at the hospital where Quaid's twins were. The wrong dose of heparin passed through three people, beginning with the inventory person who put the 10,000 unit in the stock line. Only 10 unit heparin is suppose to be in the pediatric unit, so that may explain why the nurse did not check the label and used the wrong dose twice. Quaid is not suing the hospital however, but Baxter, as he feels the problem of a label easily confused began with them.

I myself have had medication errors while I was in a nursing home. In one case, the lvn simply did not read the vial. When I realized she had given me mtx instead of my enbrel, I pointed it out to her, and she nonchalantly said oh, I'll go get your enbrel from the frig. I brought it up to the head nurse but nothing much happened. Several other times I was given incorrect meds by a lvn that often worked 16 hours shifts. I kept track of what meds I was on, so was able to correct her.

I think with the shortage of staff and the long hours some of the nursing staff work -- RNs - 12 hour shifts, lvns - 16 hour shifts, there are going to be human errors. To safeguard against them, labels must be clear, hospitals must have safety check systems and employees must follow them.

Why didn't the hospital use a barcoding system? I place the blame for this squarely on the shoulders of the hospital and its staff.

There are solutions available to prevent these types of errors.
What was heparin doing in a NICUnit anyway? And twice!!

I took heparin, by shots, and nurses told me that this was strictly an adult blood thinner.
There has been such a progress in blood thinners in the past few years, that I'm surprised that basic heparin is still around in hospitals. I took a new one a couple years ago for a few days before surgery, because it was quite easily reversed. I can't remember the name of it, but my surgeon said it would be the only one she would ever recommend because of the flexibility and safety.

I have such a tremendous respect for nurses, and I also know they're human. I do agree with what LORSTER said about peds meds- you just have to be extra careful. They're babies and no matter what, when you're their nurse, you're responsible for their lives.
[QUOTE=Joie]I think whenever something like this happens, besides looking at who is at fault, I think its an opportunity to make changes that would prevent medication errors from occurring again. The drug maker was aware of the problem of confusing the vials of different doses because of the similar labels. Both labels were shades of blue, and I think all of us know how difficult it is to read the tiny print on those small vials. So Baxter changed the labels, however it did not recall the old pediatric dose vials, and that is where Quaid feels they were negligent, hence his pending lawsuit. Making the adult and children's dose labeling VERY DIFFERENT is such an easy solution to dose confusion. My opinion.

Jan

[QUOTE=anaudlife] What was heparin doing in a NICUnit anyway?

Heparin in 10 unit doses for peds is used to flush central lines and some institutions may still use it to flush peripheral lines. Heparin is used in every department of a hospital. [QUOTE=Jan Lucinda]Making the adult and children's dose labeling VERY DIFFERENT is such an easy solution to dose confusion. My opinion. Different size letters would be easy.

Jan

[QUOTE=Jan Lucinda]Different size letters would be easy. I read something about the barcode scanner thingy. Seems like a good idea, and perhaps as more hospitals/facilities use them, the cost will come down, making it more affordable and common.

As far as the pediatric dose of heparin vial, I think the new labeling had some kind of sticker/label across the cap, making it at a glance more distinguishable than the adult dose vials. Baxter later recalled heparin though, not cuz of the labels, but because of a contaminant that may have resulted in some deaths. Its always something.

As the attorneys for the Quaids in their lawsuit again Baxter Healthcare Corporation, we commend the Quaids for their continuing efforts in speaking out about pharmaceutical safety, defective products, medication errors, and other issues impacting patient safety. At Susan E. Loggans & Associates we believe that every person has a right to recovery if he or she has been wronged. [QUOTE=SEL&A]As the attorneys for the Quaids in their lawsuit again Baxter Healthcare Corporation, we commend the Quaids for their continuing efforts in speaking out about pharmaceutical safety, defective products, medication errors, and other issues impacting patient safety. At Susan E. Loggans & Associates we believe that every person has a right to recovery if he or she has been wronged. [/QUOTE]

Ambulance-chasing whore
well somebody out there is monitoring any mention of quaid's nameI am glad the Quaid's have brought this suit. It is stimulating discussion which is good.

Jan

[QUOTE=buckeye]well somebody out there is monitoring any mention of quaid's name[/QUOTE]

I need a gig like that. Feel free to pm me if you or your clients need google-monitoring!

Copyright ArthritisInsight.com