The California Department of Public Health has issued a citation against Cedars-Sinai for a massive medical mix-up that injured among others the newborn twins of actor Dennis Quaid.
- Jan 11, 2008
AceShowbiz - In further repercussion on the accidental overdose involving among others the newborn twins of actor Dennis Quaid, the California Department of Public Health has issued a citation against Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, claimed the prestigious Los Angeles hospital's handling of high-risk drugs placed its pediatric patients in immediate jeopardy of harm.
In a 20-pages report, the California Department of Public Health said Wednesday, January 9 that Cedars-Sinai failed to "adhere to established policies and procedures for safe medication use ... These violations caused, or were likely to cause, serious injury or death to the patients who received the wrong medication." Cedars-Sinai, additionally, was also blamed for its "deficient practices" around administrating the drug.
The California Department of Public Health, according to Kathleen Billingsley, deputy director of the state's Center for Healthcare Quality, nevertheless, has not yet decided whether to fine Cedars-Sinai for the incident.
Cedars-Sinai itself has 10 days to respond to the deficiency report and meanwhile has already apologized to the patients' families and said it made changes to prevent a recurrence, including providing more training and requiring four pharmacy workers to verify a high-alert medication before putting it in a patient care unit.
Quaids and wife Kimberly Buffington's newborn twins, Thomas Boone and Zoe Grace, were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on November 18, 2007 after they were mistakenly given vials of heparin that were 1,000 times stronger than the usual dosage.
The babies reportedly "were very critical for a while," but have fully recovered and are back home.
