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Last Updated: Nov 19th, 2006 - 12:21:58 |
18 Sep, (foodconsumer.org) - Two premature babies died Saturday at the Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis following the inadvertent administration of adult doses of the blood thinner Heparin, hospital officials confirmed.
Four other babies received overdoses of the anti-clotting drug, Sam Odle, chief executive of Methodist and Indiana University Hospitals. One of the babies may require surgery, while the other three are still in a critical condition.
Human error was blamed in the deaths of Emmery Miller, 2 days old, and D'myia Alexander Nelson, 5 days old. The babies born at 25 and 26 weeks of gestation likely died from internal bleeding, officials said. Odle said that one baby was shifted to Riley Hospital for Children for further monitoring.
"Multiple'' staff members were involved in the "procedural errors,'' Odle said. Initial inquiries had showed that a staff member likely with the pharmacy department had placed a vial of heparin in a drawer of a drug cabinet at the nurses' station of the neonatal unit.
Following this a nurse administered the anti-clotting dug to the babies without checking if the concentration of the bottle matched with that of the computer-controlled drawer. Indianapolis police also investigated the incident, but ended their probe by saying that the deaths were accidental.
"They looked into it and determined that it was not anything intentional, and therefore not criminal," said Indianapolis Police Department spokesman Sgt. Matthew Mount.
Odle said that the babies died because they were very premature. A normal pregnancy lasts between 38 to 42 weeks. Babies born before 34 weeks are usually classified as premature. If that premise is applied, both girls who died were very premature at 25 and 26 weeks and probably could not withstand the huge influx of heparin.
Dr. James Lemons, a neonatologist at Riley told the Associated Press that heparin is usually given to premature babies to prevent clots from clogging intravenous drug tubes. An overdose could play havoc with the system and result in massive internal bleeding, he added.
He did not describe the specific symptoms of the babies, but said the bleeding could also be external. Nosebleeds are a common feature and bleeding could occur at the site of an incision or other skin opening, he added.
Odle said that hospital staff had met with the families to apologize. "Our hearts go out to the families," he said. However Whitney Alexander, mother of D'myia Nelson was not consoled by these apologies.
"They may apologize but it didn't help," she told WTHR-TV. "It didn't help, because I feel like whoever the nurse was on call, they should know what they were doing and how much my baby should have." Evie Miller, Emmery's mother, declined to comment on the incident Sunday.
Daniel Evans, president and chief executive officer of Clarian Health, which owns Methodist Hospital, Indiana University Hospital and Riley Hospital, said the error was isolated and did not pose a risk to other babies.
Odle added that all babies in the neonatal intensive care unit are safe. He also said that Methodist is planning to contact manufacturers of heparin to ask them to change the packaging so that similar incidents may not occur in future. "This is a tragic event,'' he said, "And our thoughts and prayers are extended to the babies' families.''
Hospital officials also said there were no incidents of infant doses administered to adult patients.
© 2004-2005 by foodconsumer.org unless otherwise specified
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