Posted May 14th 2008 12:43PM by TMZ Staff
Hell hath no fury like a father scorned!
After Dennis Quaids' newborn twins were mistakenly given a massive overdose of a blood thinner last November, they sued the drug's manufacturer, Baxter Healthcare Corp., claiming the label on the bottle contributed to the foul-up. Baxter says it's not their problem because the FDA approved it, and they're trying to back out of the lawsuit on a technicality.
Now he's testifying on Capitol Hill today, hoping to prevent other drug companies from weaseling out of similar lawsuits.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Dennis Quaid
Posted Mar 20th 2008 6:52PM by TMZ Staff
TMZ has learned the state of California has fined Cedars-Sinai Medical Center $25,000 for giving overdoses of a blood thinner to three infants, including the newborn twins of actor Dennis Quaid.
After investigating, the California Department of Public Health found that hospital personnel failed to follow their own procedures for safe medication use, and that resulted in what they called "preventable medication errors."
Click here... it's not over yet
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Nurse!, Dennis Quaid
Posted Mar 16th 2008 1:46PM by TMZ Staff
Two big hospital screw ups are front and center this weekend -- UCLA firing 13 workers who violated part confidentiality agreement by ratting out Brit, and Dennis Quaid opening up about a medical mess up at Cedars that almost killed his kids.
Is a careless nurse and an alleged cover-up worse than spilling secrets about a famous patient? You decide!
Filed under: Dennis Quaid
Posted Mar 16th 2008 1:32PM by TMZ Staff
In an interview that airs tonight on "60 Minutes," Dennis Quaid opens up about the medical mishap that almost claimed the lives of his twins.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Dennis Quaid
Posted Mar 16th 2008 1:18PM by TMZ Staff
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center tried to cover-up a massive medical screw-up with Dennis Quaid's newborn kids, at least according to sources who spoke with TMZ when we first broke the story. So why the heck isn't Quaid suing the hospital?
As we first reported, after a Cedars nurse gave the kids several massive overdoses of the blood-thinning drug Heparin, they were spurting blood but Cedars never notified the parents. The kids are fine now, and the Quaids have sued the manufacturer of the drug, Baxter Heath Corp., for mislabeling -- but Cedars is not a defendant. Why the heck not, you ask?
We're told Quaid really wants to make a statement and it's not just about one hospital screw-up. The mislabeling problem has happened before -- sometimes with fatal results -- and Quaid wants to take a stand. But here's the deal. Sources tell us the hospital was holding meetings trying to figure out how to handle the problem at the same time they were keeping the info from the parents. What would you do?
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Dennis Quaid
Posted Jan 9th 2008 8:31PM by TMZ Staff
A citation has been issued against Cedars-Sinai for a massive medical mix-up that injured three newborns, including the newborn twins of actor Dennis Quaid.
The L.A. Times is reporting the California Department of Public Health found the hospital failed to "adhere to established policies and procedures for safe medication use ... These violations caused, or were likely to cause, serious injury or death to the patients who received the wrong medication."
The twins recovered and are home.
Click here... it's not over yet
Filed under: Nurse!, Dennis Quaid
Posted Dec 13th 2007 1:08PM by TMZ Staff
Dennis Quaid and wife Kimberly Buffington were out and about yesterday looking as relaxed as we've seen them since the nightmare medical ordeal with their newborn twins.
The pair enjoyed a cup o' joe while they did their Christmas shopping in Santa Monica, Calif. The couple filed suit last week against the Baxter Healthcare Corp., the makers of the drug Heparin, after the their twins were mistakenly given a massive overdose of the anti-coagulant last month.
Filed under: Paparazzi Photo, Dennis Quaid
Posted Nov 23rd 2007 6:11PM by TMZ Staff
A crush of paparazzi were on the tails of Dennis Quaid and Kimberly Buffington to the point they had to get help from the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept., just so they could visit their kids.
A Sheriff's rep tells TMZ the paps were following the Quaids from their home and made it next to impossible for them to drive to Cedars-Sinai, where their children are recovering after a massive medical screw-up.
More than ten paps (not TMZ) have been on the Quaids, shouting out question after question. We're told Dennis asked them just to leave them alone so they could get to the hospital. When that didn't happen, the Sheriffs escorted the Quaids to Cedars, just after noon today.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, TV, Dennis Quaid
Posted Nov 21st 2007 11:59PM by TMZ Staff
TMZ has learned that the FDA issued an alert last February -- warning of the dangers of mistaking the low and high dose vials of heparin.
In the safety alert dated February 6, 2007, the FDA and Baxter Healthcare Corporation, one of the pharmaceutical companies that manufacture heparin, warned of the dangers of switching 10 and 10,000 unit vials of the drug. The alert was issued after three infants died in Indiana after they were mistakenly given adult doses. The memo tells hospitals to double-check their inventory to make sure errors in dispensing do not occur. We're told a memo with this information was also circulated around that time at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Despite the memo, the dispensing mistake happened last Sunday and Dennis Quaid's twins and several other patients were accidentally overdosed.
The California Department of Public Health says they are investigating the incident.
Filed under: Nurse!, Dennis Quaid
Posted Nov 21st 2007 1:13PM by TMZ Staff
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.
Filed under: Nurse!, Dennis Quaid
Posted Nov 20th 2007 10:30PM by TMZ Staff
After staff at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center accidentally gave Dennis Quaid's newborn twins and several other patients an overdose of the blood thinner heparin, the hospital's Chief Medical Officer, Michael L. Langberg, MD, apologized and issued a statement this evening.
According to Dr. Langberg, the error was "preventable" and involved "a failure to follow our standard policies and procedures." He said "there is no excuse for that to occur at Cedars-Sinai."
As for the twins, the statement did not identify them by name, but did say after giving "two patients" protamine sulfate, they "indicated no adverse effects from the higher concentration of heparin or from the temporary abnormal clotting function. Doctors continue to monitor the patients."
Click here to read Dr. Langberg's complete statement.
Filed under: Nurse!, Dennis Quaid
Posted Nov 20th 2007 6:18PM by TMZ Staff
Dennis Quaid's rep issued the following statement to TMZ: Dennis and Kimberly appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers and hope they can maintain their privacy during this difficult time.
As TMZ first reported, their newborn twins are currently in the neo-natal intensive care unit at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, after getting a massive overdose of the anti-coagulant drug Heparin.
Filed under: Nurse!, Dennis Quaid
Posted Nov 20th 2007 4:45PM by TMZ Staff
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
