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Second patient dies from medication error at CA hospital

Quality Improvement Monitor, November 10, 2005

Eight months after a patient at Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara (CA) Medical Center died from an overdose of stroke medication, a patient died from an overdose of pneumonia medication, the Los Angeles Times reported November 10.

A 64-year-old man died December 24, 2004, after receiving a double dose of stroke medication. The hospital was cited for failing to verify the medication dosage, the Times reported.

In August, a 12-year-old girl received a double dose of pneumonia medication.

State officials in both cases approved the hospital's plan to require nurses to double-check medications prior to administration, the newspaper reported. The hospital was not fined and did not lose its license.

"We accept full responsibility for the medication error and have added additional safeguards to our pharmacy and medication practices," Kaiser said in a statement to the Times.

Kaiser Permanente Santa Teresa Medical Center in San Jose, CA, received a citation for a similar incident in August. A 21-year-old chemotherapy patient died three days after receiving a spinal injection of vincristine meant for another patient.

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