Case Study: Allergic Reaction to Penicillin

Compensation: 3,000

Cindy, 37 years old, Liverpool

JMW has helped a woman secure 3,000 after she suffered an allergic reaction when prescribed
intravenous Augmentin, despite earlier informing medical staff of her allergy to penicillin.

Informing nursing staff of her allergy

When 37-year-old Cindy went into hospital to give birth to her 6th baby she informed the
medical and nursing staff that she was allergic to penicillin. She was therefore fitted with a
wristband warning of the sensitivity.

After the baby was born, the placenta failed to deliver, and so it was manually removed. Because
of this (plus signs of a urinary tract infection) she was prescribed intravenous Augmentin (a
common antibiotic closely allied to penicillin) despite the fact that her penicillin sensitivity was
documented both in her notes and on her wristband.

Allergic reaction

Soon afterwards Cindy vomited and her arm and neck began to swell and she appeared confused.
She then began to shake and feel very unwell. She had a headache, dizziness and blurred vision
and swelling of both feet and ankles (pedal oedema). She felt so weak and ill that she was not
able to care for her baby. After receiving 2 doses of Augmentin the mistake was realised and the
antibiotic changed. She received an apology for the mistake.

Cindy continued to feel unwell until she was discharged from hospital and once at home slowly
got back to normal with a lot of help from her mother and partner.

Settlement

After negotiations the case was settled. JMW obtained 3,000 compensation for Cindy.

Have you also suffered negligent drug treatment?

If you, or someone you know, have suffered in a similar way, we can help you make a claim for
compensation. Call us today for free on 0800 054 6512 or fill in our enquiry form.
Ca lm sng 1: Phn ng d ng vi Pennicillin

Cindy, 37 tui, sng ti Liverpool, vo bnh vin sinh con th 6 ca mnh. C y thng
bo vi nhn vin y t v iu dng rng c y c tin s d ng vi penicillin. Do , c c
lp mt dy eo c tay cnh bo v tin s d ng.

Sau khi em b c sinh ra, c y c ly sch nhau bng tay. V vy c ch nh truyn

tnh mch Augmentin mc d tin s d ng ca c y c ghi nhn c trong h s bnh n
v trn dy eo c tay ca c.

Ngay sau Cindy nn ma, cnh tay v c bt u sng ln. Sau c bt u run v cm thy
khng kho. C y b nhc u, chng mt, m mt v sng ty c chn v mt c chn. C cm
thy yu n ni c khng th chm sc cho em b. Sau khi nhn c 2 liu Augmentin, sai
lm c nhn ra v khng sinh thay i. C nhn c li xin li t nhn vin y t ti
bnh vin.

Sau khi sai st c khc phc, Cindy dn dn khe li v c xut vin.

Case Study: Allergic Reaction to Penicillin, JMW,

http://www.jmw.co.uk/services-for-you/clinical-negligence/prescription-errors/success-
stories/penicillin-sensitivity/
The decedent patient/ plaintiff was undergoing treatment for stage IV lung cancer. Her physician
ordered Tarceva as an adjunct to her established chemotherapy ptocol. The defendant pharmacist
misinterpreted the prescription and incorrectly dispensed Tampocar, which is not used in
conjunction with cancer chemotherapy drugs but rather is used in the treatment of cardiac
arrhythmia.
The exact number of days the patient ingested the Tambocar was disputed among the parties, but
it is alleged to have been 29 days. The error was discovered when the patient visited her
physician to obtain a refill prescription and expressed complaints multiple falls, dizziness, and
shortness of breath. Drug toxicity was diagnosed, and the patient was hospitalized, requiring
inpatient care for several weeks.
The defendant pharmacist i not dispute the dispensing error and was unable to provide any
reason why the physician was not contacted to clarify the illegible prescription.
The patient alleged toxicity from the improperly disensed medication resulted in an unnecessary
progression of her cancer because the Tarceva actually ordered could not be initiated for
approximately one month due to complications of the medication dispensing error. The patient
was also confined to a hospital for several weeks as a result of the error
1. Tissot E, Cornette C, Demoly P, Jacquet M, Barale F, Capellier G. Medication errors
at the administration stage in an intensive care unit. Intensive Care Med. 1999;25:353-
359.
2. Bates DW, Cullen DJ, Laird N, et al. Incidence of adverse drug events and potential
adverse drug events. Implications for prevention. ADE Prevention Study Group.
JAMA. 1995;274:29-34.
3. Bates DW, Boyle DL, Vander Vliet MB, Schneider J, Leape L. Relationship between
medication errors and adverse drug events. J Gen Intern Med. 1995;10:199-205.[ go to
PubMed ]
4. Kohn LT, et al. To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System. Washington,
DC; National Academies Press: 2000.
1. 2. CDC. Medication Safety Program.
http://www.cdc.gov/MedicationSafety/Adult_ AdverseDrugEvents.html. Accessed
05/17/2011.
2. 1.Kohn LT, Corrigan JM, Donaldson MS (eds). To Err Is Human: Building a
Safer Health System. Institute of Medicine: Washington, DC; 2000.
3. 2. Institute of Medicine. Preventing medication errors: quality chasm series.
Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2006.
4. 3.Cohen RM. Causes of medication errors. In: Cohen RM, ed. Medication Errors:
Causes, Prevention, and Risk Management. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett
Publishers; 2000:1.1-1.8.