Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog
In recent news that our Baltimore nursing home injury attorneys have been following, a nursing home in New York was fined $12,000 after a resident was given the wrong medication over the course of 18 days, allegedly leading to her wrongful death.
According to the Associated Press, 94-year old Geraldine Burke, a resident of Cayuga County Nursing Home, was prescribed a medication for her thyroid last year. According to an investigation that was performed by the New York State Health Department, Burke was given a diuretic and blood pressure medication instead of her prescribed thyroid drug.
The investigation also reportedly discovered that the medication mistake was made by a technician at HealthDirect, the pharmacy filling Burke’s medication, by confusing methimazole, the thyroid medication Burke was prescribed, for metolazone, a diuretic and blood pressure medication, as the two medications have similar looking names.
The nursing home and pharmacy reportedly both neglected to catch the mistake, and Burke was given the diuretic 11 times over 18 days, which prompted the state Heath Department to fine the nursing home. Burke reportedly died due to heart problems that resulted from kidney failure, worsened by the diuretic. Burke also suffered from a number of other health conditions.
The nursing home reportedly also faces a lawsuit by Burke’s son, for nursing home negligence and wrongful death. Cayuga County Nursing Home has reportedly sued HealthDirect, a division of Kinney Drugs for the medication error.
If someone you know has experienced nursing home neglect that leads to wrongful death in a Maryland nursing facility, contact our attorneys at Lebowitz and Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers for a free consultation. We are committed to making sure that your loved ones receive the nursing home negligence compensation they are owed.
Pharmacy, Nursing Home Sued After Pharmacy Misfill Leads to Resident’s Death, Pharmacy Error Injury Lawyer Blog, January 7, 2010
Kinney Division Sued Over Drug Mix-up, Watertown Daily Times, December 19, 2010
Nursing Home Fined After Resident Gets Wrong Med and Dies, WCAX.com, December 17, 2010
Related Web Resources:
U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Medication Error Reports
Institute for Safe Medication Practices, (ISMP)