2 Investigators: Was Patient’s Death Result Of Overworked Nurses?

November 6, 2011 12:00 AM " CHICAGO (CBS) — A doctor who was a patient at a local hospital died, and a medication mix-up is being blamed.

CBS 2′s Dave Savini spoke with Hillary Parsons, whose husband, Kevin died, at Northwestern Memorial in 2009.

“Stay with them,” Parsons warns about having a family member in the hospital. “Stay with them all the time.”

She wishes she never left her husband’s side while he was hospitalized.

“It’s my biggest regret,” she said.

Her husband was a 55-year-old physician, father of two, and diabetic. While at Northwestern Medical Center, a nurse gave him insulin at midnight, even though his medical chart said he was not supposed to get it. For hours, no one recognized he was hypoglycemic and needed sugar.

“He seized, went into a coma, and they left him there,” his widow says.

He died 2 ½ weeks later.

Attorney Stephen Phillips filed a lawsuit against the hospital. He says Kevin Parsons could have been saved with a basic blood-sugar test, which takes about a minute to administer.

Had Parsons’ blood sugar been tested, hospital staff would have known all he needed was sugar, the attorney says. A glass or orange juice could have prevented his death.

The lawsuit against Northwestern uncovered a disturbing finding. "

Click here to read the whole article