Wrong medicine kills new mother
A jury in Britain has returned a verdict of unlawful killing in the death of a woman who had just given birth at Great Western Hospital in Swindon.
The hospital and the Marlborough NHS Trust were found liable for a mix-up in an intravenous drip that caused Mayra Cabrera to suffer a fatal heart attack in 2004, The Times of London reported Wednesday.
"Mayra Cabrera was killed unlawfully-gross negligence/manslaughter-storage and administration," the verdict read.
The Times said it is believed to be the first finding against a National Health Service trust rather than a named person.
Cabrera, 30, was supposed to have a saline solution administered intravenously during her labor but instead received a powerful epidural anesthetic that should have been placed in her spine.
The hospital's method of storing and labeling drugs was called chaotic.
Following the verdict, Wiltshire police said they would reopen an investigation into Cabrera's death.
Copyright 2008 by United Press International
