Dennis Quaid's Newborn Twins in Medical Nightmare

TMZ has learned that Dennis Quaid's newborn twins are fighting for their lives after being inadvertently overdosed at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Sources tell us the twins -- Thomas Boone and Zoe Grace -- were accidentally given a massive dose of Heparin, an anti-coagulant. Babies typically get 10 units. Our sources say they were each mistakenly given 10,000 units. The drug is used to flush out IV lines and prevent blood clots. We're told one dose was given on Sunday morning, another on Sunday evening.

We're told late Sunday night, both babies started to "bleed out." Both babies are now at Cedars in the neo-natal intensive care unit where we're told they are stable.

The twins were born to Quaid and wife Kimberly Buffington November 8 via surrogate.

A rep for Quaid did not immediately return our call for comment and there was no immediate comment from Cedars.

We're told a technician stored the Heparin in the wrong place, and when a nurse grabbed the medicine for the babies without looking -- it was the wrong dosage.

A source says the babies are now being given Protamine, which reverses the effects of Heparin.

UPDATE: We're told as many as thirteen patients at Cedars were mistakenly given the overdose of Heparin, but the effects are more critical because of the age and weight of the twins.

Story developing ...

Filed under: Nurse!, Dennis Quaid

Reader Comments

(Page 37 of 37)Previous 15 Comments

541. Very, very sad situation. Being a former nurse I will say that with nurses getting bigger (read: impossible) number of patients to care for, no matter how diligent the nurse, mistakes are inevitable when a nurse has to work at warp speed, shift after shift. When my Dad was in a step-down intensitive care unit, the nurses told me they used to have five patients, now they each has 8. One nurse I know gets in her car after a shift and cries for a half an hour before going home, stating "if I cried at home, my husband would make me quit."

Posted at 5:02PM on Dec 3rd 2007 by Zoe Smith

542. As hospital/retail pharmacist I cannot believe such a mistake happened at the hospital. As helath care providers we we are always told to double chech and triple check any doses of anti-coagulant. We all know that no one uses more tham 100 units of heparin to keep the i/v lines open. As a pharmacist I feel bad that such an error occured. My prayers and thoughts are with the twins and their parents.

Posted at 9:48PM on Dec 3rd 2007 by Kanda

543. #98 Fly on the wall,
you mean someone can remove Jennifer.Bush comments?

Posted at 4:55PM on Dec 4th 2007 by donnasueq

544. Dennis, May God Almighty bless those tiny babies.

Posted at 4:57PM on Dec 4th 2007 by donnasueq

545. Medical errors happen more than the public knows. There are 198,000 people killed every year, from medical error. Medical error is close to being the number one killer. This does not include people who will suffer for the rest of their lives. However, we very seldom hear of the mistakes and deaths from medical error.

Posted at 7:36AM on Dec 8th 2007 by Paulette

546. This is say what seems so little at this time ,Dennis from what i just rad in these comments alot of america is praying for those
beautiful babies of yours and Kimberly's . may God hold those babies ih the palm of his hands while they heal from this and
recover , Gog Bless you and your family.

Posted at 8:31PM on Jan 10th 2008 by emmalee

547. We just lost a twin 2 days before christmas..he was 3 mos. old and they had been given 5 shots in one day(dont know what the shots were) supposed to keep them from illness, but both got sick. I hope mom and dad follow up. So heart breaking. great grama

Posted at 4:21PM on Jan 29th 2008 by sher

Previous 15 Comments

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