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Nashville woman sues hospital over wrong drug injected into her spine
A 78-year-old Nashville woman is suing Ascension Saint Thomas Midtown, alleging a drug error during knee replacement surgery left her with permanent paralysis and unable to walk.
A 78-year-old Nashville woman, Linda Gilbert, is suing Ascension Saint Thomas Midtown hospital, alleging that staff injected the wrong drug into her spinal canal during a knee replacement and left her with lasting paralysis. The complaint, filed on Nov. 6, seeks $150 million in total damages, including $50 million in compensatory damages and $100 million in punitive damages.
According to the lawsuit, the anesthetic intended for the procedure was mepivacaine, but the hospital instead administered potassium phosphate. The incident occurred on Aug. 14, and the complaint says four surgery patients were affected. Gilbert alleges she suffered incomplete paraplegia and can no longer walk. She also claims she experienced shock and respiratory failure that required her to be placed on a ventilator.
Gilbert remains in inpatient rehabilitation at a spinal cord injury center in Atlanta, and the lawsuit states that her injuries are permanent. The filing argues that the hospital failed in several areas, including preparation and verification of the drugs, and that treatment was delayed after the error occurred.
The complaint also alleges that syringes from the same batch were reused after earlier reports of burning pain among patients, a detail the plaintiffs say should have prompted a halt in use. The lawsuit characterizes these failures as a breakdown in safety procedures at the facility.
The medical context of the claim is central to the case. Potassium phosphate is labeled for intravenous use only and requires dilution before administration. Its labeling warns of cardiac arrest, seizures and death from overdose or rapid infusion, making its use in the spinal canal a serious departure from accepted practice.
Ascension Saint Thomas Midtown said in a statement that it is cooperating and cannot discuss the ongoing case. The hospital has also engaged an independent quality consultant to carry out corrective actions, though it has not detailed what those measures involve.
The case highlights the risks that can accompany routine orthopedic surgery. Knee replacements are common in the United States, with roughly 790,000 performed each year, and serious complications are reported in about 2 percent of patients. The allegations in this suit, if proven, would represent a severe example of a medication error with lifelong consequences for the patient.
Source: foxnews.com
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