Illinois residents go to emergency rooms when they are ill or injured in order to receive treatment. After being examined by a doctor, a course of treatment is often ordered. Usually, it is the job of the nursing staff to carry out the orders of the doctors. When mistakes are made in carrying out those orders, it might constitute nursing negligence.
One family in another state alleges that a nurse made a mistake in the treatment of their loved one that ultimately caused her death. The 22-year-old woman went to the emergency room of a hospital in her area complaining of swelling in her upper lip. After an examination, the doctor ordered that she be given .03 mg of epinephrine by injection.
The nurse who gave her the medication did not follow the doctor’s orders. Instead, the woman was given 3 mg of epinephrine intravenously. The victim then suffered from severe respiratory and cardiac arrest. She was then transferred from the hospital in Santa Fe, New Mexico to the University of Colorado Hospital. She managed to hang on for four days before she died.
Not only has the woman’s family lost their loved one, but they are also left with her medical expenses and the cost of her funeral and burial, among other damages. As would be the case here in Illinois, the family chose to file a civil action against those deemed responsible for the woman’s death. If the court determines that nursing negligence led to her death, the family may be entitled to a monetary award that could help them with the financial losses incurred due to their loss.
Source: santafenewmexican.com, “Lawsuit says hospital nurse gave fatal overdose“, Nov. 5, 2015