Report: Twin Falls Nurse Gave Child Adult Dose in Fatal Medical Mistake
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TWIN FALLS – A child who died last month at St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center was given an adult dose of a saline solution infused with potassium phosphate, The Times-News reported Friday.
Seven-month-old August Dean Elliott arrived at the emergency room around 11 p.m. Sept. 22 with heart problems and was pronounced dead a few hours later.
The child’s death triggered an internal investigation, which the hospital detailed in a statement released to the Times-News on Friday.
“One of our nurses prepared the adult patient’s medication solution at the nurse’s station,” the hospital said in the statement. “Sometime later, another nurse mistook that prepared bag as the one to be used for the child, took it into August’s room, and administered it. Approximately 10 minutes later, August went into cardiac arrest and we began resuscitation efforts. Thirteen minutes into that effort, another nurse read the label on the bag and realized August was receiving the wrong medication. Sadly, despite efforts to revive him, August died shortly after 4 a.m. on Wednesday, September 23.”
Click here to read a more detailed report from the Times-News.