Infants die from apparent drug overdose in hospital

INDIANAPOLIS — Two premature infants died after receiving adult dosages of a blood thinner, a hospital said Sunday.\nThe infants, born at 25 weeks and 26 weeks, died Saturday night in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit of Methodist Hospital after each received too large a dose of Heparin, Sam Odle, chief executive for Methodist and Indiana University Hospitals, said at a news conference. A full-term pregnancy lasts 38 to 42 weeks.\n"These are very, very small babies," Odle said.\nFour other infants in the unit also received adult doses of Heparin, and one of them was transferred to IU's Riley Hospital for Children and might have to undergo surgery, Odle said. The other three were in serious condition.\n"We are confident that no other infants except for the six were affected," he said.\nThe hospital was investigating how the error occurred and reviewing its drug-handling procedures. Some corrective steps already had been taken, Odle said.\n"This was human error — that's all," Odle said.\nOdle said pharmacy technicians place the pre-packaged vials in a computerized drug cabinet where they are retrieved by nurses who then administer the drugs. The adult and infant doses are packaged similarly, he said, and the hospital plans to contact the manufacturer to see if there is any way to make the packaging more distinct.\nHeparin is routinely used in premature infants to prevent blood clots that could clog intravenous drug tubes, Dr. James Lemons, a neonatologist at Riley, said.\nAn overdose could cause severe internal bleeding, he said.\nAutopsies were to be performed on the babies Monday. Hospital officials said one of the infants died at 9:40 p.m. and the other at 10:12 p.m. Saturday.