South Florida Personal Injury Blog

When a couple goes to the hospital happily anticipating the eventual birth of a child, they are expecting the best medical care and treatment for the mother and baby alike. West Palm Beach personal injury attorney Andrew Alitowski says that, unfortunately, medical malpractice issues arise even in the area of obstetrics, even if they are not as widely publicized as some other types of medical malpractice. Unfortunately, administration of the incorrect prescription drug is an all-too-common harm suffered by patients in the most vulnerable of places – hospitals. Fort Lauderdale accident lawyer Alitowski notes that these errors can be the most harmful for those already in weak positions, such as intensive care unit patients and the elderly. Along with staph infections, proper prescription drug treatment, including administering the wrong drug or the wrong dosage, is a serious problem facing American hospitals today.

Tesome Sampson and Frank Guy are a couple in this regrettable situation. Sampson arrived at St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach last September, apparently in premature labor. She was only 24 weeks pregnant, West Palm Beach injury attorney Alitowski has learned. Doctors at the hospital put her on bed rest to decrease the likelihood that she would give birth prematurely. Babies that are born full-term are the least likely to suffer difficulties and are generally born the healthiest. Generally, the expected due date is about 40 weeks after becoming pregnant.

Sampson remained the hospital under doctors’ supervision due to her difficult pregnancy. After she had been in the hospital for 10 days, she was given a drug called Prostin E2. The Food and Drug Administration has approved Prostin E2 for various uses, such as clearing out the contents of the uterus when a pregnant woman suffers a miscarriage or for terminating pregnancies. The drug is sometimes used during difficult labors in order to hasten the delivery. None of its approved uses are for pregnant women suffering issues related to preterm labor.

The drug caused Sampson to go into labor. Doctors assured her that her pain was because she just needed to go to the bathroom and she was given a toilet used for patients who cannot get out of bed. There, she gave birth to her daughter more than two months prematurely.

As a result of the birth, the girl has suffered severe brain damage. St. Mary’s has admitted its egregious error and apologized to the family. Still, almost a year has passed and the girl remains hospitalized with brain damage that has been described as “profound.” According to her parents, the medical costs are approaching four million dollars. The family recently filed a lawsuit against the hospital seeking damages against the medical center.