Key Takeaways
- Drug toxicity is an excessive buildup of medicine in the bloodstream, and when a medical error causes it, a malpractice claim may be possible.
- A pharmacy filling the wrong medication can lead to drug interactions and toxicity, while too high a dose of the proper drug can cause overdoses.
- Physician errors that may cause toxicity include incompatible prescriptions, prescribing too long or too high a dose, and skipping thorough exams and blood work.
- Anesthesia monitoring failures may cause brain hypoxia, and nursing home medication errors can remain undetected until significant damage occurs.
- Drug toxicity is a medical emergency, and symptoms like confusion, seizures, irregular breathing, or unconsciousness call for immediate care and documentation.
Drug toxicity results from the excessive accumulation of medicine in the bloodstream. Medical errors may be the cause of your injuries resulting from toxic levels of a drug and potentially lead to severe health effects. Paulson Coletti Trial Attorneys PC offers the services of experienced Portland medical malpractice attorneys who can determine if the following errors are responsible for your experiencing drug toxicity.
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Drug Toxicity and Medical Errors in Portland
The effects of drug toxicity may occur immediately or over an extended period and produce undesirable effects. While many complications resulting from drug toxicity are temporary, others can create long-lasting damage. You may have a medical malpractice claim against a doctor, medical team, business, or hospital if you experience the effects of drug toxicity from medical errors by the following:
Pharmacy errors: Giving the wrong medication when filling a prescription can lead to significant drug interactions and toxicity. Overdoses of the proper medication can also occur when patients are given too high a dose. Retain any prescription that you suspect is leading to drug toxicity and contact our Portland medication prescription error attorney.
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Physician errors: Prescribing a medication incompatible with a patient’s current medications, prescribing for too long, or giving too high a dose may create a toxic drug effect. Failing to provide a thorough examination and blood work may lead to toxic drug levels over time.
Anesthesia errors: The brain requires specific oxygen levels to function properly and prevent damage. When anesthesiologists fail to monitor the effects of anesthesia on patients, a lack of oxygen may result in brain hypoxia, which can cause significant brain damage and other symptoms associated with interruption of oxygen flow to the brain.
Nursing home errors: Critical medical errors may result in your loved one’s health decline or even death if nursing home staff fail to provide the prescribed medication either by administering the wrong medicine or the drug of another patient. Because of the compromised health of many nursing home residents, these medical errors can remain undetected until significant damage occurs.
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Symptoms of Drug Toxicity Due to Medical Error
Drug toxicity may lead to overdose in unsuspecting patients and is a medical emergency. Seek medical care immediately to treat and document these symptoms of drug toxicity:
- Mental confusion
- Seizures
- Irregular breathing
- Unconsciousness
- Significant cardiovascular events such as heart attack or stroke
- Brain damage
While drug toxicity from medical errors happens without a patient’s knowledge, the symptoms resemble that of an overdose due to drug use. The Pacific Northwest medical malpractice attorneys with our firm will work tirelessly to determine if a medical error is responsible for your injuries.
Schedule a Free Evaluation in a Portland Drug Toxicity Claim
Paulson Coletti Trial Attorneys PC represents severe injury cases resulting from drug toxicity. We are proven trial attorneys, successfully representing many of our clients in court, resulting in significant case results. We welcome the opportunity to provide a free case evaluation of your damages resulting from a medical error and to explain how we can assist you in your financial recovery.