Patient dies in drugs mix-up (攪錯)

Patient dies in drugs mix-up (攪錯)

A 73-year-old woman with congestive (充血的) heart failure (衰竭) died three days after an intern (實習醫生) allegedly (懷疑) gave her five medicines intended for (note 1) another patient, the Prince of Wales Hospital said last night.

A spokeswoman said the house officer who started her one-year internship on July 1 at the Sha Tin Hospital could "perform general duties as a registered doctor including prescribing medicines." The case has been referred to the coroner (驗屍官).

The Hospital Authority has set up (note 2) a separate investigation and the report will be ready in eight weeks' time. The woman was being treated at the medical specialist clinic. She was on medication for heart disease (心臟病) and diabetes (糖尿病) and was admitted to (note 3) the medical ward last Friday because of a reported shortness of breath (氣喘). "Upon admission, the resident doctor prescribed (配給) her with her usual medications plus additional diuretics (利尿的藥物) to relieve her heart failure condition," the spokeswoman said.

On Saturday morning, the doctor on duty discovered that apart from the prescribed medications, five new medicines "not the usual ones taken by the patient" - including anti- hypertensive drugs (Betaloc and Candesartan), coronary vasodilator (Isordil) and diabetes drugs (Diamicron and Metformin) - were also included on her Medication Administration Record Form.

As one dose (一劑) of the additional medications had already been administered to her at 7.30am, medical instructions were immediately adjusted, she said. But her condition deteriorated on Monday due to acute-on-chronic kidney failure(腎衰竭). She died around 5.30pm that day. Initial investigations found that "the house officer may have mistakenly (note 4) transcribed (記錄) the five medications intended for another patient, who was admitted on the same night, onto her medication record form." However, the other patient was said not to be affected.

Society of Hospital Pharmacists vice president William Chui Chun-ming believes the incident is a result of "medicine efficacy (效力) being too strong," resulting in "lowered blood sugar by an excessive level, and leading to kidney failure or even death."

From good to better English:

(note 1) intended for=打算給予。Victor intends to go home=我想回家。Was this intended? Victor asked Lei Lei= Victor 問Lei Lei: 這是故意的嗎？No worries, Jo Jo intends no harm=Jo Jo沒有惡意，你不用擔心。

(note 2) set up=成立、開展。Set eyes on=注視。Dean Fung set sail for Foshan yesterday=Dean Fung昨天開船去佛山。Set fire to=放火。Victor has to set a price for his English-training service= Victor要為提供的服務定價。Set a prisoner free=釋放犯人。His star has set=他的命運完了。

(note 3) admitted to=收入病房。Admit=接受入場、入會、入學、入院、承認。Vic Vic admits that he was wrong in making that assumption=Vic Vic承認他錯了。Bun Bun was admitted to the New York bar in 2010=奔奔在2010年在紐約州取得律師資格。

(note 4) mistakenly=看錯了的、誤解了的，誤會了的。You are mistaken=你弄錯了。 mistaken identity=認錯人。Mistake=錯誤。There is no mistake about it=那是確實無誤的。make a mistake=犯錯誤。

Victor’s View: Intern doctors are in hospitals to learn. It is unfortunate that they sometimes make fatal mistakes. Perhaps from now on they should be supervised by practicing doctors in administering medications.

(Victor Fung Keung, director of HK Baptist University’s M.A. in international journalism program, has published 3 books on English-enhancement and plans to write 7 more by the end of 2012. Write to him: deanfungenglish@gmail.com)