Home : Nurse!, Dennis Quaid : Quaid Medical Screwup -- How It Happened

Quaid Medical Screwup -- How It Happened

Posted Nov 21st 2007 1:13PM by Celly

Sources tell TMZ that a pharmacy technician at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center mistakenly stocked a massive dose of a drug that ended up being given to Dennis Quaid's newborn twins.

Thomas Boone and Zoe Grace are in stable condition. But a well-placed source at Cedars tells us they are "still very concerned because of the bleed out," adding they won't know for another week if the mistake will cause "longterm effects."

Sources tell TMZ that pharmacy technicians stock the drug Heparin, used to prevent clots and flush out IVs. The drug comes in vials -- 10 units for babies, up to 10,000 units for adults. Protocol at the hospital is to keep the different units separated, but a technician accidentally put 10,000 units in the drawer where the 10 units were stored.

Last Sunday, both infants -- born November 8 by surrogate -- were each given two, 10,000-unit dosages. They began to bleed out just before midnight and were transferred to the neo-natal intensive care unit.

Cedars issued a statement last night, acknowledging the mistake and calling it a "preventable error." That's highly unusual. Also, the hospital claims seven patients were given the wrong dosages. Our sources say 13 patients got the wrong dosage.

Comments [149]
SHARE |
4ie6

Reader Comments

(Page 5 of 10) Previous 15 Comments | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Most Recent | Next 15 Comments

61. Dennis Quade is wayyyy to old to be having babies anyway, wonder how much he PAID to buy these kids anyway???
It is shocking that this mistake could happen to thses poor innocent babies though, they can't help it if thier Dad and Mom bought them and are to old to care 4 them so they buy nanny's for that too! nice world we live in*

Posted at 4:02PM on Dec 5th 2007 by jojo

62. Don't they have the electronic medication scanner in California!!!!!!!!!!!!We do in Florida, and this prevents such incidents.

Posted at 4:09PM on Nov 21st 2007 by Bonnie Bergman

63. I pray for those babies to get better!

Posted at 4:51PM on Nov 21st 2007 by rosie coyote

64. Errors like this and even worse are very common these days. With the shortage of nurses many incompetent people are going into nursing. The exam to become a RN is not as lengthly nor as difficult as it use to be which is allowing less intelligent and competent people into the profession..

Posted at 4:22PM on Nov 21st 2007 by Julie

65. 57. It is really easy for all of you people to have an opinion to critize but until you have worked a 12 hour or more WITH AN ASSIGNED LOAD OF PATIENT who someone who has no experience with direct patient care but can balance a million dollar budget says you can do. Then your opinion doesn't really matter , does it.

SO YOU FEEL THIS TO BE A LIGITIMENT EXCUSE FOR THE NURSE WHO OBLIOUSLY CARED NOTHING ABOUT THE CHILDRENS WELL BEING WHEN HE/SHE INJECTED MEDICATION WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING TO SEE WHAT WAS IN THE NEEDLE. OR THE OTHER PEOPLE INJECTED FOR THAT MATTER..

Posted at 4:25PM on Nov 21st 2007 by you know

66. To # 8's comment about only trusting doctors in hospitals, doctors make plenty of mistakes too. I had the wrong medication placed into my spinal when having surgery on my leg, a mistake that could have cost me my ability to walk, or could have cost me my life considering my blood pressure bottomed out afterward! How about the amputation of wrong body parts, missed diagnosis, error on the doctors written order, etc. etc. Be trusting but don't take a doctor's or nurse's word for the absolute end all be all. Be an advocate for yourself, ask questions, if you don't feel safe for whatever reason you have the RIGHT to refuse treatment or medication, it's your body

I am a nurse and I feel horrible that this nurse did not do a proper check of the vial, and I am also concerned that the packaging of Heparin was not changed or the label was not color coded differently after the incident where other innocent babies lost their lives last year due to the same HUMAN error. The exact same thing happened, a pharmacy tech misplaced the vial, the nurse grabbed a medication that looks EXACTLY the same as the one used every other day in his/her department, and then did not properly do the check of the dosage on the vial and the nurse double checking did not do it as well! In my hospital we do not blame an individual but the system, when mistakes are made we look into ways to avoid the same mistake and change the protocol for the process (whatever it may be). If the drug company had made a simple color change to the labels this tragedy could have been prevented!

Posted at 5:16PM on Nov 21st 2007 by anonymous

67. Thats a big mistake, and im sorry the doc or nurse should of know better.....

Posted at 4:36PM on Nov 21st 2007 by Debbie

68. They've possibly killed 13 babies? :-O

Of course they're calling it preventable error, because there is absolutely no excuse for it. Adult heparin should not be anywhere near where babies are being treated, and the nurse should have looked at the bottle before administering it to them.

Posted at 5:10PM on Nov 21st 2007 by Puh-lease

69. My father was given an overdose of coumadin when he was going through cancer treatments. He was so bad he had bruises all over body and he would bleed terribly any time he scratched. The pharmacist got a slap on the wrist and no lawyers would take the case because the most my mother could get (he passed away shortly afterwards) would be $30k and they didn't want to take the case. They made it seem like "well he was dying anyway..." Good luck to his children!

Posted at 10:18PM on Nov 21st 2007 by Anon

70. 57. Yes, the truth of the matter is the bottom line or dollar is the most important goal for hospitals today, while quality patient care falls somewhere further down the list. As long as medicare/insurance fraud and malpractice insurance costs continue to rise, it appears that this will be the case for decades to come. It is scary to imagine just how much worse our healthcare system could get in the next few years.

Posted at 4:45PM on Nov 21st 2007 by me

71. I can't tell you how many times I have been handed medication that was intended for someone else from a major HMO Pharmacy. I truly worry about the little old man or little old lady that toddles in and picks up what they believe to be their correct medication, never check the label and never wake up? The health care we get in this country is atrocious!

Posted at 4:55PM on Nov 21st 2007 by LESLIE

72. 57. It is really easy for all of you people to have an opinion to critize but until you have worked a 12 hour or more WITH AN ASSIGNED LOAD OF PATIENT who someone who has no experience with direct patient care but can balance a million dollar budget says you can do. Then your opinion doesn't really matter , does it.

A 12+ hour shift and a heavy patient load is no excuse for stupidity and incompetence!!!!! Any nurse with half a brain would never make such a dangerous mistakeas this nurse did!!!!!! If you can excuse this mistake with working a long shift and a heavy patient load I would be scated to have you as my nurse!!!!!!

Posted at 4:47PM on Nov 21st 2007 by Carlin

73. To # 57 and #58
#57- Most R.N's work 12 hour shifts because they WANT to. They like working 3 days and 36 hrs and getting paid for 40 hrs. Love those 4 days off!!!!. I have been a nurse for longer that I would like to admit. I personally believe that there should be NO 12 hr shifts. And I also believe that nurses should not work 8 to 12 hrs in one hospital and then go and work another 4 or more hours at another hospital. Yet this happens more often that we would like to believe. There is no nursing shortage. Lots of nurses out there. Hospitals do not want to hire less than full time so they won't have to pay benefits etc. True, us "vintage" nurses are starting to retire and the younger ones will have to take over. No one is doing so well after 8 hours, getting tired at 10 hours. At 12 you are just about wiped out. You want THIS person taking care of your loved ones???? I think not. Nurses have a voice and can call the State where they work to report understaffing and the state will come out and check . Albeit not as fast as we would like always. Most California nurses belong to a union and pay very high dues. Those of you that complain about 12 hour shifts can file a complaint but you won't cuz you like 4 days off. Don't try to fool another nurse why you go on strikes, you go for the money, not staffing or anything else. and you are the first to be scabs and cross lines in northern california. MONEY!!!!

#58- Florida nurse- maybe you should put scanning barcodes on patients extremities. I'm sure you know what is meant by this comment.

Bottom Line, Don't work more hours than you can hancle safely, No more than 10 on occasion, If you are fading or notice an co worker fading get them help NOW!!!Get the charge person to get them relief. Nursing Directors , come in at times without notifying charge nurses or anyone and see for yourself what is going on. You need to use your own eyes and ears.

Posted at 5:06PM on Nov 21st 2007 by yet another R.N.

74. Oh, God, my heart goes out to Quaid, the twins' and their mother. I hope these babies recover without effect.

Posted at 8:34AM on Nov 23rd 2007 by Kelly

75. Heparin is, as i recall, the number one most frequently injurious drug error culprit. I seem to remember that it and insulin were given special focus during our training, because of the high potential for injurious mistakes to be made when giving it.

Posted at 4:57PM on Nov 21st 2007 by medic911

Previous 15 Comments | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Most Recent | Next 15 Comments