Teen in coma after wrong dose of medication

[helderheid]

July 14th, 2008 @ 10:13pm
By Ed Yeates

A teenager from Draper is in a coma because he was given the wrong dose of a pain medication. Eighteen-year-old Jessie Scott was given what was supposed to be a safe teaspoon of the drug. Actually it was a potentially lethal dose.

Jessie Scott is now at the HealthSouth Rehabilitation Center as his family and therapists do everything they can to stimulate his senses. He's been in a coma since April 30.

The high school graduate with a 4.0 grade point average is a far cry from where he was 75 days ago. At University Hospital, Wayne and Laurie Scott were told to gather their family.

"If you've got family, now's the time to call them up and let them pay their respects," Wayne Scott said. "So we made a bunch of calls, and the family responded."

Jessie's organs were failing. He was on a ventilator. One lung had collapsed. Physically and mentally, he was shutting down. All this happened within hours after he was given one teaspoon of prescribed oxycodone hydrochloride to help him sleep a bit and relieve pain from a strep throat. What happened?

The prescription was filled at the pharmacy. The label clearly indicates one teaspoon every four hours, and that's exactly what Laurie did: She gave Jessie one teaspoon in a cup.

But instead of five milligrams, attorney David Olsen says, "The dosage she gave was 20 times what was ordered. It was 100 milligrams instead of five. That's because it was undiluted."

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http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=3765921

Walmart pharmacy

[ingac70]

1. Oxycodone for strep?

I was once under the impression that that was a drug for those near death or with disabling pain.

[GreenPartyVoter]

12. Strep can hurt like a son of a gun. Maybe his pain wasn't responding to other relievers?

[ingac70]

13. That is a dangerous drug to be giving for short term illness.

No different than giving him morphine.

[Warpy]

18. Repeating a lie won't make it come true

The prescription was appropriate. The dispensing of it was not.

[Warpy]

14. No, it's given short term for acute pain

I've had it for fractures and dental work.

It's usually given in combination tablets like Percodan and Percocet. This poor kid couldn't swallow the tablets and the liquid was prescribed.

The drug was appropriately prescribed. An investigation will turn up why it was dispensed to the patient undiluted.

[marmar]

2. Envy of the world, our for-profit health care system is......

:eyes:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

3. Whoops.

Math is important.

[notadmblnd]

4. My question: why would a 15 yr old be given a suspension or elixer instead of a pill?

[bigscott]

6. it is very hard to swallow

a pill if you have a bad strep infection in your throat. That said, it is harder to believe they are giving children oxycodone for strep
my prayers go out to this young man
Peace

[thecrow]

8. Maybe his throat was sore..?

[MonkeyFunk]

9. Perhaps the strep throat

made it difficult/impossible to swallow pills?

[gblady]

15. strep throat....

feels like your throat is being cut by knives, when you have a severe case...
I couldn't even swallow my spit the only time I had it...
miserable stuff...

Prayers for the young man and his family....such a senseless tragedy.

[PA Democrat]

5. How sad, and how unsurprising that it was Wal-Mart that screwed up the prescription.

I have to say I've never heard of prescribing oxycodone for strep throat and my kids have had dozens of cases of strep throat between them. Is this common?

[Tab]

7. Did you notice it was a Wal-Mart pharmacy?

That's terrible for the family.

I wonder if it was a real pharmacist or one of their "assistants". I'm sure whoever it was feels awful, but this shows it's very easy to make a major mistake.

[readmoreoften]

10. How much you wanna bet the "pharmacy assistant" makes $8 an hour and works 2 jobs?

That's my guess anyway.

[Blue Diadem]

16. I was surprised they make so little and are responsible for so much.

My biggest concern is how many how certified. Quite a few years ago, I think it depended on state laws if they had to be certified or not.

[Gormy Cuss]

11. I wonder if the pharmacy was a bit understaffed.

Walmart or no, if speed is prized over accuracy there will be more errors. We all hate waiting for prescriptions to be filled but I'd rather wait an hour than get the wrong product or dosage.

[Bake]

17. Another "frivolous" lawsuit coming, no doubt.

All you DU tort-reformers, THIS is the kind of shit that DEMANDS a malpractice lawsuit!

I'd have his parents call a good lawyer. Or maybe you'd just have them call their accountant.

Bake

[MadHound]

19. Oxy for strep throat pain? Really now, what the fuck?

I'm sorry, but I've had strep a few times in my life, and yes, it hurts like all hell, but never was I prescribed a prescription painkiller other than a codiene cough syrup. Other than that, I was told to gargle with warm salt water, take the cough syrup, rest, drink lots of liquids.

This is just plain stupid, just overkill. What's next, prescribing oxy for a cut?