An elderly man in Snellville, Georgia, passed away after he was allegedly administered a lethal dose of morphine, according to a report Tuesday.
Paul Lowe, 93, lived independently with his wife, Betty Lowe, before he was taken to Piedmont Eastside Medical Center in Snellville, Georgia, over a case of pneumonia, Atlanta News First reported. Medical staff initially told his family he died of natural causes, however staff allegedly gave him 60 times the prescribed amount of morphine, ending his life, the outlet reported.
Fatal case highlights the dangers of prescribed liquid morphine https://t.co/xfAj4OimmB
— Johnathan Laird (@JohnathanLaird) November 29, 2020
“Medical care providers told Mrs. Lowe that her husband had died of natural causes and kept the truth hidden from her that her husband had been euthanized by being given an overdose of morphine that was purposefully not reversed,” the lawsuit states.
Doctors recommended Lowe be placed in hospice over his pneumonia due to the condition worsening “despite treatment with antibiotics, diuretics and supplemental oxygen,” according to the lawsuit. Lowe’s family also expressed that he would not want to be kept alive on life support, should his condition deteriorate further, the lawsuit says.
Medical staff subsequently administered the lethal dose of morphine that allegedly ended Lowe’s life, and they were aware of the situation for at least 5 hours, the lawsuit states. A nurse asked the doctor about administering Narcan, an opioid antagonist that may have reversed the effects of the morphine, however the doctor responded that Low “was a comfort care patient, and Narcan was not part of the protocol,” according to the lawsuit.
Three months after Lowe’s passing, medical staff informed Betty Lowe that they had accidentally administered 60 times the amount of morphine than prescribed, Atlanta News First reported.
“Medical care providers knew that Mr. Lowe would most likely die within minutes or hours of being given this overdose of morphine if not action was taken to administer Narcan to reverse the effects of the morphine overdose,” Dr. Matthew Tuck, who works at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington, D.C., told the outlet. (RELATED: Cause Of Death Revealed For Former Child Star Who Died At Homeless Facility)
According to the National Institute of Health, medical errors are responsible for the deaths of 100,000 individuals annually.
The Daily Caller has contacted the medical center.