Richard Smith, 79-Year-Old Miami Man, Dies After Accidentally Receiving Execution Drug

The family of a deceased Florida man is suing a Miami hospital, claiming a mixup in which he was given a medication used in executions led to his death.

Richard Smith, 79, was admitted to North Shore Hospital on July 30, 2010, with shortness of breath and stomach trouble. Smith's son, Marc, told WSVN-TV that when he arrived at the hospital, a doctor informed him that his father had gone into respiratory arrest after receiving the wrong medication.

The Smith family claims the nurse administered Pancuronium, a muscle relaxant, instead of the antacid Pepcid. The Daily Mail reports that Pancuronium is one of three drugs used in executions in many states, though it is also used in the operating room.

Smith was resuscitated, but eventually died a month later, according to the Miami New Times.

The nurse who allegedly administered the drug into Smith's IV tube, identified by the Daily Mail as Uvo Ologboride, is still working with patients, despite an investigation into the incident.

"Our hearts go out to the Smith family for their loss," read a statement released by the hospital as reported by WSVN. "This was a tragic event that was immediately self-reported to the agency for health care administration. We conducted an internal review and have several new processes in place to ensure a situation like this doesn't happen again."

Comments

[John Smith Smith]

07:54 PM on 06/11/2012

This doesn't actually sound all that unusual to be honest. When something like this happens, the hospital performs what is called a root cause analysis and new processes are put into place. I work at a hospital and although tragic, these incidents are looked at as a learning opportunity. At my hospital we have a dispensary machine that also reminds you to double check look alike/sound alike drugs. As for nurses, we have a no repercussion policy to encourage self reporting in order to improve processes and future prevention. If this nurse does not have any other incidents against her, I'm not surprised that they are still working in the same unit.

[blockade runner]

12:21 PM on 01/25/2012

This is the problem so many think this was a mistake I believed the nurse was ordered why else would you keep a person who has just caused a death. This was done to my wife in a sovereign immunity hospital they have no fear, nurse should be tried for premeditated murder

[John Smith Smith]

07:54 PM on 06/11/2012

What premeditation? Maybe negligence.

[Whipper Snapper 61]

04:26 PM on 11/27/2011

OMG.......just horrible.

May he RIP...

[Shane Johnson]

03:26 PM on 11/25/2011

She should be stripped of her licensure and help criminally responsible. I hope the family sues the shit out of that hospital.

[GibbsSlap]

03:52 PM on 11/22/2011

So a nurse, dare I say an Angel of Death Nurse, who seems not to be able to read a bottle of meds; is allowed to practice on others. Mmmmm.

[Dross Cool]

02:18 PM on 11/22/2011

WHAT A BAD STUPID MISTAKE

[rnbbc]

12:41 PM on 11/22/2011

It seems many people don't understand that this drug is not just a muscle relaxant, it's a paralytic. It paralyizes breathing muscles and thus someone can go into respiratory arresst. Even with CPR, a time without oxygen can do damage to the brain and thus this man could have immediately been brain damaged and been taken off life support which would then lead to death. I don't know the circumstances but the wrong drug in this case can very easily be linked to a resulting death a month down the road. As a nurse, I know that medications errors occur but hospitals are diligently working to make sure that human error doesn't lead to injury or death of patients. We are currently using a scanning system where the patient is scanned and the medication is also scanned to ensure the right drug for the right patient and in the correct dose. This type of safety measure would have for sure prevented this error.

[SBinF]

12:03 PM on 11/22/2011

Subsequently, the hospital is reevaluating its policy of housing bottles labeled, "execution drugs" next to the bottles of antacid in the medicine cabinet.

[Halsey]

11:22 AM on 11/22/2011

Insulting headline (and yes, I bit the apple of said headline). I would assume an autopsy was done. That would let the family know if indeed the wrong drug contributed to Mr. Smith's death. At 79 and with breathing issues, it would take an investigation. My own father, at 88, makes at least one ER visit a month and has at least one doctor's appt. every week. He is old and in pain yet has no terminal illness. He'll mix his pills up and THEN go nuts and thus, the ER. He is on medicare so doesn't worry about the $10's of thousands of dollars. Some day, my guess is he will himself take the wrong combo..and end of story. Sadly, it will be his own fault as he never tells a doctor what other doctors have prescribed. Unrelated to Mr. Smith, I know...but the story should also include any medications he was on for the month he lived AFTER the medical malfeasance. They will settle out of court I'd think. At 79, one can't claim "earning potential". But, a sad holiday season for the Smith family and my heart does go out to them.

[rdavis0805]

12:39 PM on 11/22/2011

Geez, aren't you a ray of sunshine...

[Halsey]

12:46 PM on 11/22/2011

I'm sorry rdavis. I DID go overboard...chalk it up to sitting on my pity pot. I actually appreciate your reminding me to SNAP outta it!. Take care.

[jessiernut]

02:09 PM on 11/22/2011

Often in these cases, given his age, he may be experiencing some demnetia that makes him incapable of sorting his own meds or handling his health care needs. IF that is the case, then I wouldn't place the blame on him.

[rondohatton2012]

09:44 AM on 11/22/2011

But he was 79.

[rdavis0805]

01:52 PM on 11/22/2011

so!?!?!?!?!

[jessiernut]

02:10 PM on 11/22/2011

Does ones value to family and loved ones diminish with age? Is there a point were one is no longer valuable. Before determining that there is, you might want to consider every day brings you closer to that age.

[rondohatton2012]

10:17 AM on 11/23/2011

Listen, I'm not all that far from that age. And yes, my value has diminished a bit. It's the way of the world.

[tigi]

09:12 AM on 11/22/2011

Huffington Post should re-title this article immediately as it clearly reflects bad journalism at its best and sensationalism at its worst. I've read the comments and most people who actually bothered to read the article agree. If you want your "customers" to continue to read your articles, then they need to be fair and edited!

[rondohatton2012]

09:44 AM on 11/22/2011

Huffies thrive on sensationalism.

[SoCalDoc]

04:55 AM on 11/22/2011

This article has generated a lot of commentary and opinions, most of which have been assumed by the reader(s). There is clearly insufficient information to draw any conclusion about the chain of events leading to the patient's death. I am surprised that the Huffington Post has allowed this story to be published, given its lack of journalistic style and finesse.

My condolences to the gentleman's family.

[award12]

09:43 PM on 11/21/2011

why would it be so easy to grab pepcid as it is to grab this drug? This is criminal!

[TheFlowerChild]

06:52 PM on 11/21/2011

"News" always has a way of reporting things either inaccurately or misconstrued to make the reader believe or feel one or another. Nurses kill patients all the time with simple errors such as medicine mix-ups, that lead to fatal consequences and that should be the real story here be your own health advocate or your elderly Parents health advocate and ask many questions about the drugs they are administering. Pancuronium is most commonly used as an execution drug and less commonly used in emergency situations to induce a patient in a paralysis state. To say that Pancuronium is a "muscle relaxant" is like saying Propofol is an over the counter sleep aid. Both Pancuronium and Propofol are powerful drugs administered mostly in ER and by a specialist. I am appalled that Pancuronium wasn't locked up somewhere with other controlled substances.

[wrobbins]

11:14 PM on 11/21/2011

To be fair, it's not a controlled substance.

And Propofol is an excellent OTC sleep aid...just ask Michael Jackson's doctor.

[MaeS]

05:38 PM on 11/21/2011

As long as doctors and nurses are human, they are going to make mistakes, and those mistakes are going to sometimes have terrible consequences. Unless it's a case of gross negligence or ineptitude or a pattern of milder versions of either, I am not that concerned with disciplining the provider. I bet the nurse in question is never going to make another medication error. And he'll be about the only one on the floor.

My MIL was in the hospital and is now in the second of two rehabs. She has had medication errors in all three places. The hospital, btw, routinely ranks in the top 5 in the country.

Likewise, my grandmother died from a poor reaction to a prescribed medication, that really should not have been prescribed to a frail elder (or at least the dosage should have been carefully titrated).

This doesn't mean that the patient or his family should not receive damages. They should.

And I say this not to defend or deplore the providers in question. Just, people, this is entirely common. Ask, ask, ask about everything they give you. And if you can't, try to have a relative or friend with you who can. This isn't one bad incident, this is a systemic problem.

[notmytime]

11:12 PM on 11/21/2011

thank you for adding a voice of reason to the cacophony.

[rj20876]

03:33 AM on 11/22/2011

This. It is unfortunate and sad, but in all likelihood it was a mistake. All you can do is provide guidelines to help prevent unfortunate situations like this in the future. Im sure the nurse feels almost as terrible as the family. I agree that damages should be given to the family also.