Alleged Hospital Error Using Fentanyl Patch Fatal To Autistic Teen

Autistic teen dies from accidental drug overdose in medical malpractice case

A wrongful death lawsuit alleges a 15-year-old Autistic boy died in March when he was given a Fentanyl patch to alleviate his pain from a routine tooth extraction, reports Seattlepi.com.

Seattle Children’s Hospital sent Michael home with his mother on March 9, following the extraction, with the fentanyl patch for pain, according to a civil suit filed earlier this month in Washington’s King County Superior Court. Family members found him unresponsive the next morning and paramedics were unable to revive him – he was pronounced dead at his home.

The medical examiner report states the boy died from a drug overdose caused by the fentanyl patch, which is usually used for patients with chronic pain such as cancer patients, the newspaper reports.

Children’s Medical Director has admitted the hospital staff erred when if prescribed the fentanyl to Michael, […]

Parents Sue Day Care Center in Child’s Death

According to the Philadelphia Daily News, the parents of a 2-year-old boy will sue Fairy Tales Daycare and its owners in the boy’s death.

On July 1, 2009, the child died after being left in the back seat of a locked van with the windows rolled up and temperatures exceeding 80 degrees. The lawsuit alleges the boy’s parents paid their neighbor and co-owner of the daycare center to take the child to the center at least three times a week.

On this day, however, the child was left in the van where he was not discovered until about 4:30 pm in the afternoon. He was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead of heat stroke, also known as hyperthermia.

No criminal charges have been filed in the case.

The Scranton, Pennsylvania attorneys of Munley, Munley & Cartwright have years of experience representing the survivors of wrongful death victims. […]

$10 Million Awarded to Amputee in Houston Medical Malpractice Lawsuit

Man has leg, fingers, and toes unnecessarily amputated due to botched procedure

According to the Houston Chronicle, a Harris County jury has awarded a Houston man $10 million in a lawsuit filed against Methodist Hospital and the doctors who treated him there.

In 2002, the man underwent heart surgery for an improperly functioning valve. After the surgery, he developed gangrene and had to have multiple amputations, including his left leg above the knee, his fingers and the toes on his right foot.

The lawsuit alleged Methodist Hospital failed to monitor the patient properly for blood disorders after they administered the drug Heparin. Heparin is a widely used blood thinner that is known to have side effects including immunological reactions that cause excess bleeding. This, alleged the plaintiff, resulted in the development of gangrene.

If you or a loved one in Pennsylvania has been harmed by a medical mistake, […]

Woman Settles Flesh-Eating-Bacteria Medical Malpractice Lawsuit

The Orlando Sentinel reports a woman who ended up having both arms and legs amputated, allegedly due to a flesh-eating-bacteria, has settled her lawsuit against the hospital for an undisclosed amount.

After delivering a son at the Orlando Regional Healthcare System, Inc. (now called Orlando Health) in 2005, the woman developed a rash, fever, chills and other symptoms. The next day, even though she was in extreme pain the hospital tried to discharge her, according to her lawsuit, but her husband refused to take her home, and the following day surgery revealed she had gangrene in her belly.

Her condition grew worse and it was determined her body was being ravaged by Group A Streptococcal infection – a flesh eating bacteria. In hopes of saving her life, health care personnel amputated all four of her limbs. She is now confined to a motorized wheelchair.

Medical negligence is the result of a health care provider’s failure to provide the expected standard of care. […]

Neurosurgeons Sued For Alleged Malpractice On Child’s Surgery

The parents of 5-year-old Katie have sued North Shore University Hospital and their star neurosurgeons for a spine operation that left the child unable to touch her toes, walk upstairs, and in constant pain.

The parents allege the surgery was unnecessary, reports the NY Daily News.

Before the surgery, which the surgeons claimed would help alleviate a rare brain defect known as Chiari Malformation, Katie was happy and active, riding her two wheeler and playing soccer, the parents alleged.

Katie’s parents are among at least four other families suing Doctors Thomas Milhorat and Paolo Bolognese for alleged unnecessary surgeries that inflicted further harm to the patients, according to the newspaper.

If you or a loved one has been harmed by a form of medical negligence, you may have a medical malpractice claim. Our attorneys at Munley Law are experienced and successful medical malpractice litigators and we fight to protect the rights of patients. […]