Seattle, WAA fatal overdose of calcium chloride appears to have caused the wrongful death of an eight month old infant who was in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Seattle Children's Hospital. Kaia Zautner died on September 14, in what may be the second potential case of medical malpractice
at the hospital in 18 months.
According to a report by KING 5 News, the CEO of the hospital said in an email to hospital staff that the infant was given 10 times the intended dosage of calcium chloride. Kaia's mother, Alana Zautner, wrote on the blog she set up for Kaia that "One of Kaia's nurses accidently miscalculated the dosage of calcium chloride," and it "caused Kaia's heart to basically go into cardiac arrest." She went on to say, "her kidneys took a serious hit and her levels have sky rocketed." Doctors at the hospital performed surgery on Kaia in an unsuccessful attempt to save her life.
The lawyer representing the Zautners told KING 5 News that a 15-year old boy, Michael Blankenship died at the same hospital in 2009, after accidentally being given an overdose of pain medication. As a result, the hospital had promised to implement significant changes.
"Here we are 18 months later and it's happening again," Chris Davis, the Blankenship family's lawyer, told King 5. Just days ago the Blankenship family settled their lawsuit against Seattle Children's Hospital.