Woman Administered Wrong Medication

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

A woman who went to a Pittsburgh hospital for a Cesaerean section was "inadvertently" given the wrong medication, according to a report from the state Health Department.
The woman was admitted to the West Penn Hospital in early August for the C-section and a tubal ligation, state surveyors found.
The patient was inadvertently given 450 micrograms of an intravenous preparation containing digoxin into her central spine fluid which was followed by 15 miligrams of lidocaine.
Two physicians responsible for the error failed to follow the hospitals policies relating to "the administration and automated dispensing of medications," the Oct. 8 report states.
The report does not indicate what effect the error had on the patient. "We are confident that the steps we have taken to address these issues will prevent future such events from occurring," said hospital spokesman Dan Laurent.
He said patient privacy rules bar the discloure of specific case details.
In a plan of correction, the hospital said it would institute a re-education program for anesthesia staff and monitor inventory to detect any errors.
The same hospital was cited a day earlier for failing to re-assess the conditions of three patients who had been placed in restraints at least once every two hours. The three patients were among five patient records reviewed by the Health Department inspectors.
The hospital's plan of correction calls for staff re-education on the proper use of restraints and a daily review of records to ensure compliance.
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