The first years of a baby’s life are often the most critical for development. Making sure they receive proper medical care is important in making sure they grow up to be healthy adults. The first few days can be even more crucial.
A baby in another state was born four months premature. Because of the very early birth, the baby had to stay in the hospital to ensure the newborn developed to the best of its ability. The baby died after 40 days, but the death could have been prevented had doctors followed proper procedure. Although this pediatric malpractice happened in another state, it could happen in New Jersey. Making sure you have trust in your healthcare providers is very important.
The baby in this case received the wrong concentration of a sodium solution. The hospital admitted that a data error occurred that cause the solution to be improperly mixed. This preventable death should never have happened.
New Jersey doctors and healthcare systems need to work hard to prevent instances of pediatric malpractice. Medical mistakes on young babies can often have devastating consequences. Because babies are so small, they are more likely to react severely to even small concentration mistakes.
It is important that families understand their rights when a family member is injured or killed because of a doctor’s error. These errors can be prevented if doctors and healthcare systems work to put in safeguards. Safeguards can be lifesaving and can be as simple as having another person double check a doctor’s work.
Source: Business Insurance, “Hospital settles with family of infant who died from too much intravenous sodium,” Judy Greenwald, April 5, 2012
