Charles Ornstein writes for the LA Times:
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center placed pediatric patients — including the newborn twins of actor Dennis Quaid — in immediate jeopardy of harm by giving them overdoses of the blood thinner heparin, state hospital regulators said today.
In a 20-page report, the California Department of Public Health said the prestigious Los Angeles hospital gave three children 1,000 times the intended dosage of heparin Nov. 18. Cedars-Sinai has previously taken responsibility for the error, citing at least three separate safety lapses that led to the overdoses.
"This violation involved multiple failures by the facility to adhere to established policies and procedures for safe medication use," the state wrote. "These violations caused, or were likely to cause, serious injury or death to the patients who received the wrong medication."
In addition, inspectors wrote, the unsafe medication practices "created a risk of harm for all hospital patients."
The public health agency has not yet decided whether to fine Cedars-Sinai for the lapses, said Kathleen Billingsley, deputy director of the Center for Healthcare Quality. She said the hospital has fully cooperated in the investigation.
