What should I do if a doctor gave me the wrong amount of medicine and I passed out?
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What should I do if a doctor gave me the wrong amount of medicine and I passed out?
I was stung by a wasp and taken to the ER. The nurse gave me epinephrine 11000 instead of 110000, the nurse questioned the doctor several times before administering it. I had some type of cardiac event; I must have passed out after the severe pain in my chest and the muscle contractions and burning all over It is a hard experience to explain. When I came around I was hooked to a defibulator and my cloths had been cut off and I had vomited and lost control of my bowels. What kind of health problems do I need to look for or ask about now? Do I needed a lawyer?
Asked on April 10, 2016 under Malpractice Law, Texas
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 8 years ago | Contributor
As for what sort of residual health problems you may have--you need to ask a doctor about that.
In terms of legal action: there are two necessary components for a viable malpractice case. The first is fault: the doctor was negligent, or unreasonably careless. But the second is some significant monetary loss (e.g. substantial additional medical costs) or significant and long-lasting (months or longer) disability or life impairment. That is because even when the doctor is at fault, the amount of money you can recover is related to the costs and injury you suffered; meanwhile, malpractice costs are very expensive to bring, because you need a medical expert to write reports and testify and such experts can run a few thousand dollars easily. If, as we hope, you suffer no more than the what you have written about--i.e. no lasting effects--and you have only small additional out of pocket medical costs, it would not be worth suing--you'd spend more on the lawsuit than you'd get back.
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