Managing a patient’s IV may seem like one of the simpler tasks that can come before a medical professional. However, just because a medical task seems simple doesn’t mean that bad things can’t happen when it is done improperly. When a nurse, doctor or other medical care provider acts negligently in connection to the administering or monitoring of an IV, patients can suffer greatly. Thus, when it comes to IV-related care, it is very important for medical providers here in Illinois to conduct themselves in a proper manner. Deviations from the proper standard of care in the context of IV’s or any other medical context are something that no patient should ever have to face.
A medical malpractice case involving an IV has recently come up in another state, Louisiana.
The case centers on medical care a woman received after she underwent a successful heart surgery. The woman alleges that, during this care, negligence occurred in relation to an IV that was attached to her. According to the woman, the negligence resulted in an air bubble going into her blood stream and her, consequently, suffering a cardiovascular collapse. She was revived following the collapse.
The woman claims that she was harmed in many ways by the incident. Pain, mental anguish, loss of ability and loss of social functions are among the harms the woman says that she has suffered.
A lawsuit has been brought by the woman and her husband in connection to the alleged IV-related negligence. The lawsuit names a nurse practitioner, a doctor, an anesthesia group and an insurance company as defendants.
Source: The Louisiana Record, “Heart surgery patient suing after air bubble in IV allegedly caused cardiac failure,” Kyle Barnett, Dec. 12, 2013