Epidural and IV confusion

July 20, 2008

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In 2006 Jasmine Gant, 16, died following a mistake by nurse Julie Thao. Jasmine died following an inadvertent disconnection of her epidural during childbirth. Thao mistakenly attached the epidural to the IV device.

The Wisconsin State Journal state that progress has been made to increase the safety associated with tubing connections, but obstacles continue.

“It’s inching along,” said Rod Hicks, a professor at Texas Tech University and former research manager at U.S. Pharmacopeia, a nonprofit organization that sets standards for the drug industry. “But these errors can still occur. We have not made the world a safer place yet.”

This article calls for industry to provide the solution to safer tubing connections in healthcare.

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