After a lab test incorrectly showed that a pregnant woman was HIV positive, doctors gave her medication that she claims resulted in the death of her unborn child, and the woman has now filed a medical malpractice lawsuit naming those responsible, as reported by the Courthouse News Service.
S.V. filed the lawsuit in a Gregg County Court in Texas. She has named Good Shepherd Health System dba Good Shepherd Medical Center, Zeid Women's Medical Center, and Dr. Y.Z. as defendants.
The medication S.V. was given was allegedly in an effort to prevent her child from being born HIV positive. However, according the lawsuit, the medication was given erroneously as she never was HIV positive. The lab error was made by Zeid Women's Medical Center that took her blood sample during her pregnancy.
According to the suit, "…on October 10, 2012, (S.V.) received a disturbing telephone call from the clinic advising her that she needed to return to the clinic to receive her blood test results that came back 'abnormal.' (S.V.) asked several times about the results and the clinic personnel warned her it was very bad and that she should bring someone to the clinic with her when she came to discuss the results…Upon arrival to the clinic, Mrs. (S.V.) was taken to the counseling room where two ladies were waiting on her, one was a nurse practitioner, (S.), the other, (T.), a caseworker from SHRET."
SHRET is the acronym for Special Health Resources of East Texas and counsels people with HIV.
S. proceeded to explain that S.V.'s blood work had shown her to be HIV positive. S.V. was stunned by the test's results as she had no risk factors for the disease, and she denied that that it could be correct. She requested a second test, or a retest of the same sample, and was denied.
The suit states that Dr. Y.Z. "refused to draw another sample for testing."
The following day both S.V. and her sister met with SHRET. She was told to take all the medication that had been prescribed to prevent her child from being born HIV positive though "the medication that would be given would make (S.V.) very ill, even causing hallucinations."
A new physician, ordered to treat S.V. throughout the pregnancy, asked for new blood work so that he could check her T-Cell count. Then "on October 23, 2012, (S.V.) received a call from SHRET and asked to come to their clinic as soon as possible. Unable to think or breathe after vomiting, she called her sister to pick her up and take her to the clinic. Once in the doctor's office, (S.V.) and her sister spoke with the doctor and the casework. The doctor informed (S.V.) that the blood work drawn in their office (SHRET) was negative for the virus and that she in fact was not HIV positive. The doctor repeated the test to confirm (S.V.) was negative for the virus. Good Shepherd Medical Center mislabeled the blood samples and results and did not notify Mrs. (S.V.) of the error. As a result, Mrs. (S.V.) suffered permanent physical and psychological injuries, as well as the loss of her unborn child, from the medical negligence of defendant's employees and agents."
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