A doctor is sued for overprescribing narcotics during an inpatient procedure

“Vinyard states in the suit her son was initially taken to W.W. Hastings Hospital on June 19, 2003. Dr. Dexter Scott accepted Vinyard for transfer to Tahlequah City Hospital for surgery to repair the fractures 3-1/2 hours after Kevin’s arrived at Hastings.

The suit states Kevin’s tibia and fibula, two bones in the lower leg that go from the knee to the ankle, were fractured. He received 10 mg of morphine for pain at 3:50 a.m. and was given 25 mg of Phenergan, an antihistamine used to cause sleep, at the same time. The suit alleges he was given another 10 mg of morphine 22 minutes later, and at that time, his blood pressure, temperature, pulse and respirations were all within an acceptable range.

Kevin was admitted to TCH 33 minutes later, and transfer records showed he had received 20 mg of morphine. Despite that record, the suit alleges, Scott ordered 10 mg of Demerol given to the patient at 6:10 a.m. Another 12.5 mg of morphine was administered at 7:15 a.m., followed by another 12.5 mg of morphine at 9:47 a.m.

The suit states Kevin Vinyard was taken to surgery at noon June 19, 2003, and Oliver, supervised by King, started anesthesia intravenously at 12:05 with 5 mg of the anesthetic Versed, followed by another 2 mg of Versed at 12:15 p.m. Scott started the surgery at 12:27 p.m., and Kevin went into respiratory arrest due to the alleged overdose of drugs, with his blood pressure falling to 80/40.

The suit alleges Kevin Vinyard suffered tremendous damages from oxygen deprivation to his brain from the respiratory and cardiac arrest, and remained in a coma during the rest of his stay at TCH.”

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