A jury has awarded Barbara Lefforge a $3.1 million Santa Ana, California nursing home negligence verdict. The Long Beach woman suffered brain damage in 2007 when she was accidentally administered a morphine overdose by staff at St. Edna Subacute & Rehabilitation Center. She had been admitted to the Santa Ana assisted living facility for just 5 ½ hours when the medication mix-up occurred.
Family friend and podiatrist Wesley Kobayashi had mistakenly recommended that Lefforge, who had just undergone tendon repair surgery, be given 50 mg of morphine for pain instead of 50 mg of Demerol. Lefforge's Santa Ana, California nursing home neglect lawyer contends that the assisted living facility should have caught the mistake.
Also, even though Lefforge was given an overdose--30 mg of morphine--she was allegedly not monitored or taken to the hospital until the following day. The jury determined that the Santa Ana nursing home was 90% liable while holding Kobayashi 10% liable.
Medication Mistakes
It is important that nursing home residents are given the right medication, at the correct dosage, and at the right times. Failure to give a patient his or her medication can delay recovery. Other medication mistakes can cause health issues, overdoses, addictions, adverse reactions, serious injuries, and even wrongful death.
Some Signs of Morphine Overdose:
• Clammy or cold skin
• Drowsiness
• Palpitations
• Constipation
• Nausea
• Breathing problems
• Decreased blood pressure
• Lungs in fluid
• Bluish nails or fingers
Unfortunately, medication mistakes continue to occur at Orange County, California nursing homes and hospitals. These errors are preventable, which makes the serious injuries and deaths that can result even more tragic.
Nursing facility morphine overdose costs $3M, Mercury News, August 20, 2010
Woman injured at O.C. nursing home gets $3.1 million, OC Register, August 19, 2010
Related Web Resources:
Complications of Morphine overdose, Wrong Diagnosis
Nursing Home Guide, California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform
