THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT  
              Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Friday, October 28, 1994               TAG: 9410280596
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL  
SOURCE: BY MARC DAVIS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK                            LENGTH: Medium:   54 lines

CORRECTION/CLARIFICATION: ***************************************************************** A medical malpractice lawsuit filed Thursday in Norfolk Circuit Court claims that a 4-day-old boy died in March at DePaul Medical Center from an accidental overdose of potassium. A story Friday misidentified the gender of the baby. Correction published , Saturday, Oct. 29, 1994, p. A2 ***************************************************************** MALPRACTICE SUIT FILED AGAINST DEPAUL AFTER BABY DIES OF OVERDOSE

A medical malpractice lawsuit filed Thursday claims that a 4-day-old baby died in March at DePaul Medical Center from an accidental overdose of potassium.

The Circuit Court lawsuit seeks $5million in damages. It names four defendants: DePaul, an unnamed pharmacist and two unnamed pharmacy technician/assistants.

The lawsuit was filed by the baby's great-aunt and her attorney, Andrew M. Sacks. The mother was 17 when she gave birth.

According to the lawsuit, the baby girl was born March 6, about 1 1/2 months premature but with no significant abnormalities. In the intensive care nursery, a doctor prescribed potassium chloride, which helps muscle function but can be toxic in high doses. It was administered by an intravenous feeding tube through the baby's belly button.

The baby died March 10 of cardiac arrest. An autopsy found that hyperkalemia, or too much potassium, was the immediate cause of death, the lawsuit states. Blood analysis showed the baby had a potassium level of 15.2, nearly four times the normal level, the lawsuit says.

The hospital issued a two-sentence statement Thursday in response to the lawsuit: ``DePaul Medical Center acknowledges that a serious event occurred on March 10, 1994, and has taken appropriate steps to respond to the situation. We have worked closely with the family during this difficult time and share in the family's grief.''

According to the lawsuit, DePaul fired a pharmacy technician/assistant the day after the baby died because she had improperly prepared and delivered the lethal dosage.

This is the second lawsuit in a year claiming a fatal overdose of potassium in a Norfolk hospital. Last October, a similar lawsuit was filed against Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in the death of a 66-year-old woman. That case was settled in August for $750,000.

KEYWORDS: LAWSUIT POTASSIUM by CNB