The family of an 11-year-old girl who died after surviving cancer has been awarded $20.5 million after a jury determined that the prescribed morphine ultimately killed her.
On October 31 of that year, Ava died in her sleep due to acute toxicity from a combination of morphine, hydroxyzine, and gabapentin, the family’s attorneys, Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard PC, reported this week. The lawsuit alleged that she had lethal levels of morphine in her system.
Medical staff performed tests that later showed Ava had low platelet counts, low blood cell counts, elevated liver enzymes, and low blood pressure, the statement said.
His lawyers claimed that his blood pressure had not been rechecked before he was discharged.
“Instead of admitting Ava to the hospital to get her blood pressure, heart rate, and pain levels within acceptable and normal limits, Advocate employees sent Ava home with excessive pain medication ,” said Matthew L. Williams, the lead attorney in the lawsuit, in a statement.
“Ava’s body was screaming at these doctors, ‘Help me!’ And they just ignored it.”
A nurse at the clinic prescribed Ava 100 mg of gabapentin to take three times a day and 15 mg of morphine to take every four hours as needed, according to the civil complaint obtained by The News & Observer.
The girl’s oncologist did not examine her, but supported the specialist nurse’s recommendation.
Before this appointment, all of Ava’s home morphine prescriptions were only 5 mg. The nurse practitioner also increased her gabapentin prescription and sent her home. When taken together, the medications can potentiate each other, according to a press release from the firm.
In a written statement, Advocate Health and Hospitals Corporation told the newspaper: “Our thoughts go out to this family. We are committed to providing appropriate care to every patient. Due to patient privacy, we cannot comment further.”
The Independent emailed Advocate Health for comment.
Ava had been in remission from B-cell lymphoblastic leukemia.
A press release from the lawyers said his
“outlook was positive ” and that he “
had no detectable leukemia in his blood.”
