Potassium overdose kills patient

Barry Doyle

Attorney
(866) 735-1102 Ext 800

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A Philadelphia family has filed suit against a local hospital after their father died following heart surgery.

Two hours after having bypass surgery, the man had a fatal heart attack. The man's daughter, a doctor, reviewed his chart and saw that he was given an excessive amount of potassium, and she believes that this led to his death.

Nurses are taught that they need to check their "R's" before giving medication. These are: right patient, right drug, right dosage, and right method. These checks are intended to assure patient safety. When followed, these would eliminate many medication errors in hospitals.