On Tuesday, the family of Loretta Macpherson, 65, reached an undisclosed monetary settlement with St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, Ore., where Ms. Macpherson died after being administered the wrong medication in December 2014, according The Bulletin.
Ms. Macpherson was erroneously administered the paralyzing agent recurnium instead of the physician-ordered anti-seizure medication fosphenytoin. She was given the drug intravenously, which resulted in cardiac arrest and permanent brain damage. Two days later, Ms. Macpherson was taken off life support.
According to an internal investigation conducted by the hospital, the error occurred in its pharmacy. The bag was labeled incorrectly, leading Ms. Macpherson's caregivers to believe they were administering the correct medication.
According to KTVZ, Joe Sluka, CEO of St. Charles Health System, said in a statement, "All of us at St. Charles are deeply sorry for the loss of life that resulted from a medication error and a breakdown in our processes...we hope that this settlement will bring some closure to the Macpherson family. We will continue to honor the legacy of Loretta Macpherson as we strive to improve and work to ensure that errors of this type do not occur again."
Mark Macpherson, Ms. Macpherson's son, also made a statement reported by KTVZ: "While these agreements will not bring our mother back, we feel that ultimately it has brought the community together demanding better healthcare and our local hospital has listened. We thank everyone who has come together to help us through this tragedy."
The settlement includes the placement of a memorial bench on hospital property in honor of Loretta Macpherson.
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