Drug Overdose Cases: Can This be Minnesota Medical Malpractice?

Medication Errors Causing Drug Overdoses is Serious Medical Malpractice in Minnesota

 

Drug overdoses due to medication errors is one of the most preventable types of medical malpractice in Minnesota.  Victims in St. Paul, Minneapolis, Rochester, Duluth, and anywhere else in Minnesota should always contact a medical malpractice attorney when they suffer severe injuries due to a medication error.  When that medication error is due to an overdose, it is more likely than not that the cause of the overdose is medical malpractice which should never have occurred and was preventable.

 

Causes of Overdoses Due to Medication Errors: Minneapolis Medical Malpractice

 

Medication errors can have many causes, including drug or patient mixups.  But when a medication error result in a drug overdose, that is a different and more severe instance of medical malpractice in Minnesota.  These types of errors are instances of gross negligence and are almost always preventable.

 

Some causes of drug overdoses resulting Minnesota medical malpractice include the following:

 

• Miscommunication errors – when doctors and nurses have a miscommunication error about the dosage of a medication to be given to a patient, they need to confirm before proceeding;
• Failing to document the administration of medication – when a doctor or nurse administers or gives a patient a medication but fails to document it, another healthcare provider who comes in and sees that the medication was ordered but not given may give it a second time resulting in an overdose;
• Rushing and miscounting – when a healthcare provider is rushing to get tasks done due to staffing issues, a healthcare provider could easily give the wrong dose which is fatal to a patient;
• Nursing home mistakes and errors;
• PCA pump malfunctions – these types of pumps are common after major surgeries and they are hooked up to a patient’s IV.  They allow for a patient to hit a button to receive a dose of morphine, as well as slowly providing a patient with a morphine drip.  If a pump is dripping too much morphine or is actually leaking morphine into the IV, a patient could have serious health consequences include brain damage and organ failure; and
• Many other causes.

 

Drug Overdoses Caused by Medical Malpractice in St. Paul, Minneapolis, or Anywhere Else in Minnesota Are Very Serious and Deadly

 

If you or a loved one have been injured due to the medical malpractice of a healthcare provider such as a doctor, nurse, hospital, or other health care service professional, call Kuhlman Law, LLC for a FREE consultation by dialing (612) 444-3374 to learn what your rights to compensation may be.  You may also contact us using our easy and convenient “contact us” box at the bottom of our website.  If we accept your case, we will conduct a thorough review of your case and advise you whether there may have been a serious medical mistake causing your injury.   There is no risk, and you do not owe us money unless we win your case.

 

We also handle cases throughout the state including Bend and Portland Oregon, Redmond, Central Oregon, Multnomah County, Deschutes County, Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, Lane County, Medford, Gresham, Albany, Medford, Beaverton, Umatilla, Pendleton, and Hillsboro.  Our Oregon office number is (541) 385-1999.