May 23, 2019 in News --> Medication Errors

Fatal medication error leads to negligence lawsuit

A Manitoba man is suing his local health centre for medical negligence leading to the death of his wife in 2017. According to the statement of claim submitted by his medical malpractice lawyer, Murray Thomas’s wife, Vickie Ann, died after receiving dangerous doses of the powerful painkiller Toradol. The statement also alleges that prescribed blood thinners contributed to the death. The case highlights the potentially tragic outcomes of medication and hospital errors.

Vickie Ann was diagnosed with cancer in July 2017 and admitted to the Deloraine Health Centre in southern Manitoba the same month. She was prescribed Toradol, which has a maximum recommended dosage of 40 mg per day. Over 10 days, Vickie Ann received doses ranging from 30 mg to 120 mg per day. She was simultaneously prescribed blood thinning medication, which the statement of claim alleges shouldn’t have been used alongside Toradol.

Vickie Ann died on August 25 of “gastrointestinal hemorrhage and multisystem organ failure secondary to massive hemorrhage aspiration,” according the statement of claim. Murray Thomas alleges her death was the “direct result of the excessive provision of Toradol, and of the combination of Toradol and blood thinners, together with a failure by the defendants to properly monitor their patient.”

As any Canadian medical malpractice lawyer knows, proving medical negligence in a court of law is challenging. Plaintiffs in malpractice cases must prove that they were owed a duty of care by the defendant, that the defendant failed to provide that care, that their injuries were the result of that failure, and that demonstrable damages were incurred.

Thomas’s statement of claim alleges that one doctor and four nurses at the Deloraine Health Centre caused Vickie Ann’s injuries and failed to remedy the situation as it deteriorated. The statement says Vickie Ann showed signs of internal bleeding over 13 days at the facility, including abnormally low blood pressure, decreased blood volume, a high resting heart rate, and streaks of blood in her vomit.

“All defendants failed to react to the decreasing blood pressure, dizziness, and weak and unbalanced and unsteady observations of Vickie Ann Thomas,” the statement of claim reads.

Whether Murray Thomas and his family are able to access compensation for Vickie Ann’s death remains to be seen, but the case illustrates the vital importance of careful drug administration and diligent patient observation.

If you or a member of your family have been injured in a medical setting, contact Neinstein Personal Injury Lawyers today to arrange a free, no-obligation consultation with an experienced medical malpractice lawyer.