Stevens Johnson Syndrome Lawsuit Filed

December 3, 2014, 2:00PM. By Heidi Turner

Scranton, PAThe parents of a boy who died after developing Stevens Johnson Syndrome are reportedly filing a lawsuit against a medical center, a hospital and multiple doctors who treated the boy. The parents allege the defendants were negligent in their treatment of the boy and their failure to properly diagnose him, resulting in his death. At the time of his death, the young boy reportedly had Stevens Johnson Syndrome symptoms, pneumonia, and liver and kidney failure.

The Times-Tribune (11/26/14) reports that Pedro Arce, Jr. was only six years old when he died after months of medical care and treatment. According to the report, he was taken to Moses Taylor Hospital on January 29, 2013, with a fever, cough and a sore throat. He was reportedly misdiagnosed and prescribed the wrong medication.

On April 10, 2013, the boy died at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. An autopsy showed that the boy had Stevens Johnson Syndrome, pneumonia and organ failure. The boy’s parents, Amaris Ramos and Pedro Arce, filed a lawsuit against the defendants alleging that their negligence resulted in the young boy’s death.

Meanwhile, a lawsuit has also been filed against a doctor in Waco, alleging the doctor’s medical malpractice caused a patient to die from sepsis linked to his Stevens Johnson Syndrome. Mildred Slaughter’s brother, Harold Hutchinson, died in August 2011 at age 78 after he took Bactrim for a bacterial infection. The Waco Tribune-Herald reports Hutchinson then developed Stevens Johnson Syndrome in reaction to taking the medication.

An attorney for the doctor said Hutchinson had diabetes, problems with his prostate and other medical conditions, and that the doctor’s actions did not cause Hutchinson’s death. The doctor also reportedly testified that he had last prescribed Bactrim for the patient six months before Hutchinson was hospitalized, not 10 days before.

Lawsuits concerning Stevens Johnson Syndrome have been filed against a variety of defendants. In some cases, the lawsuits are filed against drugmakers, alleging patients were not adequately warned about the risks associated with taking the medication. One such lawsuit resulted in an award of $10 million to the plaintiff, who was only three years old when she developed Stevens Johnson Syndrome after taking Children’s Motrin. McNeil-PPC appealed the award, but a jury panel rejected the appeal and rejected a motion by the defendants to have the lawsuit reheard.

In addition to lawsuits filed against drugmakers, some lawsuits are filed against doctors or medical centers alleging that they failed to properly diagnose patients with Stevens Johnson Syndrome, resulting in serious injury or death.