Most people believe they will never be a victim of malpractice – that it only happens to other people. Unfortunately the Karaus family learned, in a tragic case of nurse’s negligence, that it can happen to anyone.
On March 12, 2007 Omaha resident Jim Karaus was watching television with his wife of 57 years, Mary, when he began speaking incoherently. He was rushed to Bergan Mercy Hospital with the diagnosis of a minor stroke.
According to court records, a doctor at the hospital prescribed a dose of T.P.A., a drug used to reduce the effects of a stroke.
That’s when things went horribly wrong.
In a clear case of negligence, one of the nurses mistakenly wrote T.N.K. on the patient’s chart. The seemingly minor error had devastating results.
T.N.K. is a medication used for heart attack patients, not those suffering from strokes. Shortly after receiving the wrong medication, Jim Karaus’ lungs began to bleed, and he died. He was 76 years old.
The family has filed a lawsuit against the hospital, but the result is little consolation to Mrs. Karaus. She said, “Every day, a hundred times a day, you miss him, you know.”
Perhaps the most tragic part about this case is that the patient’s death could have been prevented. Due to the negligence of a health care professional, in whose hands we place our trust and in some cases our very lives, an otherwise healthy individual lost his life.
If you or someone you love has suffered at the hands of a trusted medical professional, you have the right to seek justice. Speak with a qualified medical attorney to find out what your next step should be.
Source: KETV.com
Click here to Subscribe to RSS Feed
Everyone makes mistakes every day. But in the medical field and the police, when they make mistakes, it can and sometimes does cause a tragic and unnecessary death. But was it really negligence? I don’t think so. I think it was a freakin typo. A mistake. Like you and I make every day of our lives. They didn’t ask the nurse who made the mistake how she’s doing. I’ll betcha her life hasn’t been a bed of roses since that day either. And yet, it was only a mistake. I wonder how to writer of this article would feel if they were sued for every mistake, every typo they made… I wonder how they’d feel if someone died because they made a typo.
All I’m sayin here is that a little compassion for those who’s mistakes are most likely to have tragic consequences. Cause we ALL make mistakes every day.