Heparin Overdoses Are Far Too Common In Texas

A Dallas family made national headlines this month when their two-year-old girl died as a result of an accidental blood thinner overdose. The hospital responsible for the mistake has admitted that the Heparin overdose took place and has apologized for the deadly medical error. However, it is important to understand that this is far from the first time that Heparin has been the center of a medical malpractice incident – and far from the first time that a blood thinner overdose has lead to the serious injury or death of a child.

For example actor Dennis Quaid’s twin babies suffered from a massive Heparin overdose in 2007. Although the infants survived, they will not know for years whether the blood thinner overdose had permanent affects. In the year after the overdose, the family sued the company that makes Heparin, claiming that the drug company, Baxter Healthcare Corp, did not make clearly readable labels that often confused doctors and nurses. The medical malpractice lawsuit ended in a $750,000 settlement.
Just one year before, three infants died and three more were injured in once Heparin overdose incident. In 2008, two twins in Corpus Christi, Texas died after a similar overdose – again because the labels on the adult drug and the children’s drug looked similar and were difficult to differentiate.
Drug overdoses like the ones above are easily preventable and should never occur. In many cases, either the drug manufacturer or the health professional who administered the drugs is responsible for the serious medical mistake. If you or a loved one has suffered because of a Heparin blood thinner overdose, contact a Dallas prescription error lawyer.