People in Ohio likely view medications collectively as those veritable “magical pills” that target diseases, infections and maladies without causing any adverse effects. While pharmacists and clinicians may warn of side effects, many may assume that such effects only manifest themselves in rare circumstances. Yet this assumption essentially overlooks what medications do.
Medications interact with certain biological processes, stimulating the body’s response to address an existing condition. Those interactions often impact other bodily processes (sometimes even suppressing certain functions). One unfamiliar with these processes will likely only value the therapeutic effect a medication provides. It is up to clinicians to know when the risks posed by its use outweigh the benefits it offers.
Interaction with cancer drug leads to patient’s death
A failure by a clinician to fulfill that responsibility can have disastrous consequences. A recent case involving an oncology clinic in West Virginia. Per the Winchester Star, a man presented for treatment for rectal cancer. Providers prescribed him a drug that stated it could worsen the effects of heart disease. The patient died just days after beginning his course of medication. A subsequent autopsy revealed that died due to complications from heart disease. A medical malpractice lawsuit filed by the man’s widow states that caretakers at the clinic not only failed to recognize the man’s heart disease during an initial assessment, but also misdiagnosed the cause of the symptoms the medication caused (blaming them instead on stomach problems).
Accountability for medication errors
Given the catastrophic results that the improper use of a medication may cause, those affected by them may rightly want to hold those clinicians who overlooked them accountable. One’s chances of finding success at such an endeavor may improve by enlisting the assistance of an experienced legal professional.
