Dennis Quaid Settles With Cedars-Sinai
After a horrible mixup last year that left his newborn twins fighting for life after a mixup of Heparin, actor Dennis Quaid and his wife have finally settled things with Cedars-Sinai:
TMZ broke the story that the infants were mistakenly given a massive overdose of Heparin. We've now obtained legal papers stating the Quaids have settled their dispute with Cedars for $750,000, subject to court approval.Interestingly, the Quaids never filed a lawsuit against Cedars — targeting the drug manufacturer, Baxter Healthcare Corp, instead.
The settlement has no bearing on the claims the babies could make against Cedars-Sinai. Translated — the infants could still file a massive lawsuit against the hospital, but the Quaids have put their dispute with Cedars to rest.
This isn't the first time a mixup of this nature has happened...back in 2006, three premature babies in an Indiana hospital died after being given an accidental overdose of the drug which prevents blood clots, and in 2001 two patients who recovered were also accidentally overdosed.
From what I understand, the problem might lie with the labeling...heparin for juvenile use is labeled differently than heparin for adult use, but the labels are not distinctively different. Heparin formulated for adult use is 1,000 times greater than for use in infants.
The babies, Zoe Grace and Thomas Boone, reportedly received 10,000 units per mililiter of the drug instead of 10 units. If you look at the photo above, you can see the similarities in labeling, and while there is no excuse for laxness in the medical profession, if someone was in a hurry or under stress it could be easy to mistake one for the other. Perhaps the adult version could keep its current labeling while the juvenile version could be pink or orange or a more juvenile color.
The twins recovered and reportedly are doing well now.
