Pregnancy and childbirth are supposed to be joyous times in which mothers and parents look forward to welcoming a new addition to their family. These should never be times of fear or anxiety. Unfortunately, medical mistakes can cause expectant parents to experience health complications that can have lasting consequences both for a mother and her baby.
Medication mistakes injure a shocking 1.5 million Americans every year. These medication errors kill 100,000 people each year. When a doctor, pharmacist, or other health professional makes a prescription drug mistake with a pregnant woman, they endanger both the mother and the unborn child.
Pregnant Mother Given Wrong Medication
It’s devastating to think what can happen when an expectant mother is given the wrong medication. For one woman in Canada, a potentially deadly drug mixup could have cost her the life of her unborn child.
According to Canadian media, a 21-year-old mother-to-be was given misoprostol, a medication used to induce labor in women who are full-term with their pregnancy. Misoprostol is associated with serious complications, including uterine rupture during labor. The Canadian mother was only 36 weeks pregnant and was supposed to have received a suppository for group B streptococcus — a routine drug given to prevent an infection that can be passed from mother to child during birth.
Types of Medication Mistakes
Medication mistakes can happen in a variety of ways and at any point in the chain of distribution from the manufacturer to the doctor to the pharmacist.
- Confusing drug names – According to the Medication Error Reporting Program, mixups involving drugs with similar sounding names accounts for up to 25 percent of all drug errors.
- Dispensing the wrong medication – In other cases, doctors or pharmacists give a patient the wrong medication. This can happen when a doctor or pharmacist confuses one drug for another or simply makes a mistake. It can also occur when a pharmacist gives a drug to the wrong patient.
- Dispensing the wrong dose – When it comes to prescription drugs, even a misplaced decimal point can be deadly.
- Drug interactions – Not all medications work well together. When a patient is given two or more medications that produce dangerous side effects, a patient can become very ill or even die due to drug interactions.
Contact a NYC Medication Mistakes Lawyer
New York City medication mistakes lawyer Jonathan C. Reiter states, “Pregnant mothers should be able to count on their health care providers to safeguard their health and the health of their unborn baby. Drug accidents are almost always entirely preventable. There is no excuse for these types of medication mistakes.”
If you or a loved one has been injured due to a doctor’s negligence or a medication mistake made by a physician, pharmacist, nurse, midwife, or hospital, get in touch with a New York City medication mistakes lawyer as soon as possible to discuss your case.
Media Contact:
Aviation Accident plaintiff attorney Jonathan C. Reiter.
T: 866-324-9211.
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Prior results cannot and do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future case. Recoveries always depend upon the facts and circumstances of each case, the injuries suffered, damages incurred, and the responsibility of those involved.
Sources:
- http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/serissa-mckay-medication-error-1.4185092
- https://www.caring.com/articles/medication-mistakes
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2684033/
