Hospital accidentally gives man execution drug

When you know how many People die because of this Errors you would not visit a Doc,
a Pharmacy and/ or a Hospital!

Have a look;

In Hospital Deaths from Medical Errors at 195,000 per Year USA

An average of 195,000 people in the USA died due to potentially preventable, in-hospital medical errors in each of the years 2000, 2001 and 2002, according to a new study of 37 million patient records that was released today by HealthGrades, the healthcare quality company.

www.medicalnewstoday.com...

We can use the same Numbers for the EU and for Asia,
imo. more than 1.500.000 People die every year because of this

reply to post by Human0815
About 250,000 - 300,000 people die per day.


Calculations:
7 billion people on earth.
Average life expectancy is about 66.12 years ~ 24150 days
7 billion people ÷ 24,150 days is just less than 300k
However, life expectancy is increasing, and population is increasing, so the actual number should be lower than 300k.

Read more: wiki.answers.com...

Originally posted by Biigs
Drugs dont kill people.

Nurses do.

Doctors do!

My Father's regular family doctor for 30 years prescribed a medication that has a fatal interaction with another medication he'd been on for 15 years. The doctor forgot to look at his chart and prescribed death. My Father happened to consult a pill book and noticed the interaction before he took the drug.

Dad is still pleased with his family doctor. I'm not!

reply to post by mazzle


accidentally gave him an execution drug!!!.....thats bs!

what....did they need the bed or something?


dodgy ass hospitals.....trying to thin the population...to lighten the workload...lol...mugs

Lol. "Accidentally". People please do NOT check the "yes" tab under "organ donor". This is what happens.

Fairly typical mainstream media headline story to keep uninformed readers interested in the drivel they publish.

Whilst this drug is used in executions it is rather crude to call it an "execution drug". Drugs such as this make a huge difference to patient care every day, particularly in advanced life support, intensive care and surgery. Without this kind of drug it would be almost impossible to protect a patients airway by intubating them (placing a breathing tube into the airway) when they need it most.

It is possible that the drug was placed in the advanced life support or "crash" trolley and was used inadvertantly by the nurse in question. I am in no way supporting the nurse but also I am not accusing them of anything until the full investigation reveals what really happened, whether it be lack of correct labelling or just negligence on the nurses behalf.

It is very easy for non medical professionals to think up reasons why this occurred and to prejudge the inquiry but in reality there is normally more to the incident than most realise.

Bringing the execution use of this drug into the equation is nothing short of attention seeking and bears no more relevance than saying the patient was killed by lightning, which is electricity just like that used in the electric chair.

Regards

Doc

Originally posted by ExtinctExInt
Fairly typical mainstream media headline story to keep uninformed readers interested in the drivel they publish.

Whilst this drug is used in executions it is rather crude to call it an "execution drug". Drugs such as this make a huge difference to patient care every day, particularly in advanced life support, intensive care and surgery. Without this kind of drug it would be almost impossible to protect a patients airway by intubating them (placing a breathing tube into the airway) when they need it most.

It is possible that the drug was placed in the advanced life support or "crash" trolley and was used inadvertantly by the nurse in question. I am in no way supporting the nurse but also I am not accusing them of anything until the full investigation reveals what really happened, whether it be lack of correct labelling or just negligence on the nurses behalf.

It is very easy for non medical professionals to think up reasons why this occurred and to prejudge the inquiry but in reality there is normally more to the incident than most realise.

Bringing the execution use of this drug into the equation is nothing short of attention seeking and bears no more relevance than saying the patient was killed by lightning, which is electricity just like that used in the electric chair.

Regards

Doc

thanks Doc for the support of the medical community. Indeed mistakes do happen. By comparison of how many lives are saved these kind of mistakes are very rare.
This is not just a drug used in executions. It is indeed used in many advanced life support situations.
In order for this type of error to occur in most hospitals it would have to have been an error by more than one.

Unless of course it did come from an advanced life support cart, which no one would have used to
obtain the drug Pepcid that was ordered.

Most likely the pharmacist would have had to send it to the the ER, and the nurse would have had to verify it not once ..but at least twice and perhaps three times.
So there had to have been a monumental breakdown of communication, and error here.
It does happen, but it is rare when compared to how many lives are improved and saved.
DH

To those who are attacking the Nurses and Physicians here:

Where do you plan to go when you are trapped in your car with two broken legs after an accident? Will you
just sit there and wish your legs to simply heal themselves so you can walk away fully healed?
When your chest begins to scream with every heart beat and your Blood Pressure goes above 190/110 will you just grab a beer and ignore it? If you do you would most likely not have an opportunity to even drink that beer.
What will you do when you discover you have a life threatening illness that requires specific treatment in hospital or out?
Those very same medical workers that you are attacking in this thread:
They are the ones that would be willing to save your life unconditionally. Understand now that we are people just like you and people do make mistakes.
But also keep in mind, that when the day comes you need advanced medical care, those same people whom you scathe here will be the ones fighting to save your life.
DH

Originally posted by Realtruth
So what is new about this, almost everything they prescribe kills people.

Ever see the disclaimers?

This drug may relieve your particular symptom,but

WARNING! Your eyes may start to bleed, liver hardening may occur, testicles may shrink, hair will most likely fall out, heart palpitations will increase, hearing loss in 8 out of 9 people may occur, shortness of breath, inconsistency in urination, soreness and redness in the groin area happens in 10% of the users.

edit on 19-11-2011 by Realtruth because: (no reason given)

Haha so true. I've read them many times and it's hilarious in some sad kind of way.

OK. First off, let me say this was the nurses fault, plain and simple. She didn't follow procedure on several levels.

BUT

I would like to add, this isn't as simple as it sounds. First off, It isn't like he was supposed to have been given a pill as an antacid, but instead was given a lethal injection of a smooth muscle relaxant. Famotidine is given for acid reflux, but it has other uses. Since the article doesn't fully explain the patients medical history, we have to speculate some, but I can make an educated speculation here. It does say he went in for shortness of breath and stomach pains.

Hospitals DO NOT keep tablets of antacids next to... for lack of a better term SHTF meds...or, in hospital speak....a crash cart. While it's possible this patient did have stomach acid, it's more likely he was in congestive heart failure. A patient with CHF in an acute form would be treated from the "crash cart." Famotidine is actually a type of antihistamine. It's technically a histamine2 blocker. H2 blockers have been shown to have benefit in CHF and is administered in this method as an IV injection. I will not get into specifics in this thread.

What I'm sure probably happened is the physician ordered and IV injection of famotidine and the nurse in her haste just picked up something she thought looked like it should be that. Unfortunately for this patient she instead administered pancuronium.

This is just my medical opinion of how this could have happened, but without knowing full details it's impossible to tell. I am only trying to explain how something usually known as an antacid to most people could have been given instead something which caused the patient to stop breathing.

Unfortuntly its a very tircky busniess?

How many medical staff accidentally kill a person compared to serious food poisening out breaks in a chefs restaurant?

Medical wages are generally farily low unless you have a very focused skill, like surgury for example.

The jobs inbetween are no better comparitivly than say a busboy compared to a very basic bed nurse.

We expect nothing but the best from these hospitals and their staff, however we are not prepared to pay for it.

If nurses had a pay check like a racing driver and the same respect and adoration, i can tell you for nothing the level of nursing and care would be extremly competetive!

Originally posted by DavidsHope
They are the ones that would be willing to save your life unconditionally. Understand now that we are people just like you and people do make mistakes.

Unconditionally? Well a few perhaps, and by law if its life threatening they have to help, but generally speaking my experience is that there IS a condition... you have to be able to pay before you get in the door. I know very few medical people that will take you on free to fix something before it becomes serious... that is why most don't see a doc when they should.

What really irks me is that when they can't find out what is wrong with you they still want that payment. So you end up going broke trying to find someone who can help. In my job if I don't fix it I don't get paid.... with docs they demand payment up front.

In fairness there is a group of surgeons that are doing something about that on a personal level. Maybe you have a list of those who are willing to help "unconditionally" as you say?

Originally posted by Biigs
Drugs dont kill people.

Nurses do.

My wife and I are both Canadian Registered Nurses. First of all it would be bad for business... Secondly nurses don't kill people, ignorant and irresponsible people do! It was funny to read the build up of conspiracy... What does the hospital have execution drugs for? How many people were killed on purpose with it? And it's only a muscle relaxant. I thought I was reading a FOX News story for a minute there. He He!

reply to post by PsychNurse


With a nick and avatar like that you would be a scary nurse

reply to post by PsychNurse


Hey you know i was only playing

I know many people take their jobs seriously and many dont, the care and respect that nurses and medical staff at hospitals is always very very high - they know lazyness means serious life threatening implications.

Still dont blame the drug, blame that person who should probably be picking ice skates rather than drugs for a job

Originally posted by zorgon

Originally posted by DavidsHope
They are the ones that would be willing to save your life unconditionally. Understand now that we are people just like you and people do make mistakes.

Unconditionally? Well a few perhaps, and by law if its life threatening they have to help, but generally speaking my experience is that there IS a condition... you have to be able to pay before you get in the door. I know very few medical people that will take you on free to fix something before it becomes serious... that is why most don't see a doc when they should.

What really irks me is that when they can't find out what is wrong with you they still want that payment. So you end up going broke trying to find someone who can help. In my job if I don't fix it I don't get paid.... with docs they demand payment up front.

In fairness there is a group of surgeons that are doing something about that on a personal level. Maybe you have a list of those who are willing to help "unconditionally" as you say?

I am one of those unconditional ones and have been for more than 30 years. I have many friends that feel exactly the same way, and not one of us has ever killed anyone through a mistake.

We have two major hospitals in our City. Neither one would turn away a medical emergency. One being a non profit is barred from turning anyone away, and generally end up giving free care in the end.
But someone must pay. In the end...someone does pay..
That would be me and you. It is an industry.

I do agree with you concerning How physicians are paid.
If the starter goes out on your car, it is repaired before payment is made. You may even check the work turning the key etc to be certain.
But a Dr.? Well go the office for a throat infection---He orders an antibiotic that is not specific for your infection and what happens? You end up going back and being charged a second time for the same illness.
I know..it happened to me...I fired that Dr and found a new one. We have that option.
It is up to the patient to question. Never be afraid to ask. Ever. It just may save your life.
I should have asked that Dr to culture my throat and I did not, so in the end I too was at fault for having to return a second time. Always ask questions.
In respect to this thread, it is a bit misleading, since the mentioned drug clearly is a drug with many uses, most of them life saving. It can only take a life if that is the intention, or it is a mistake.

DH

Originally posted by PsychNurse

Originally posted by Biigs
Drugs dont kill people.

Nurses do.

My wife and I are both Canadian Registered Nurses. First of all it would be bad for business... Secondly nurses don't kill people, ignorant and irresponsible people do! It was funny to read the build up of conspiracy... What does the hospital have execution drugs for? How many people were killed on purpose with it? And it's only a muscle relaxant. I thought I was reading a FOX News story for a minute there. He He!

I am an American Registered Nurse and I do agree; Without a doubt killing people would indeed be bad for business.
Last I heard we are in the exact opposite business. Even in Hospice which I worked for a long time, it was not our goal to kill anyone. Only to keep people comfortable, and provide a level of care they would most certainly not have had 30 years ago. and Uh...I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Fox and a few others didn't actually carry this story at some point.
Star
DHRN