Father Died within 36 hours of Receiving Heparin

Milwaukee, WIBetsy's father was 73-years old when he was admitted to hospital for routine exploratory surgery. However, while he was in the hospital he developed a serious infection. While the doctors thought the infection might have resulted from the surgery, it may, in fact, have been caused by tainted heparin.

Betsy's father had what are now known to be the classic symptoms that accompany an infection resulting from tainted heparin. The family would like to know just what did happen to their father to cause his untimely death.

"My father died 36 hours after being admitted to hospital. He was definitely given heparin," Betsy said. And she should know, she has his medical records. But so far, she has not had a meeting with her father's doctors to gain an understanding of just what exactly the medical records mean.

Betsy's father went into hospital for exploratory surgery on his gall bladder. "He was originally supposed to have his surgery on the ninth of September 2007, but he was given another blood thinner by accident so they couldn't do the surgery," she said. "Then they gave him heparin, and he developed an infection and his blood pressure dropped, so the doctors opened him back up again to try and find out what was going on," Betsy said. The doctors thought my father had a bad infection, but they were confused by what they found," she said. "My father was given heparin again, and discharged from the ICU and that's when everything went downhill," Betsy said.

In fact, Betsy's father died and had to be resuscitated. "He was in a coma for several days after he was given heparin - then he aspirated into his lungs and died. They brought him back and he went back into a coma and stayed in a coma until he passed, early in the morning of September 23," Betsy said.

As far as Betsy is concerned, her father was not someone who would be considered at high risk for becoming sick or not being able to withstand the operation. And his doctors would not have scheduled him for what is considered routine surgery, if they had not felt he was up to it physically. "He was in good health when he went into the hospital. He was on blood thinners because he had undergone heart surgery nearly five years earlier. He had diabetes and a heart condition, but he lived on his own and took care of himself."

When Betsy spoke with her father in the hospital, before he went into a coma, he complained of physical pain. "He said his body hurt all over. And I didn't understand that because it should only have hurt in the incision area," she said. "My father had a high tolerance for pain; he was not someone who would complain of pain easily."

Betsy is exasperated. "I just don't know anything. I don't know anything at all. I have received the medical records, and I'm trying to set up a meeting with the doctors at the hospital. We still don't have any answers as to what happened. A lawyer would be helpful," she said. A lawyer may be able to help Betsy and the rest of her family find the answers the need to finally gain some closure.