An 82-year-old man in New Zealand has died from brain hemorrhage due to wrong medication. An elderly woman was surprised to learn she had diabetes since her doctor never told her anything about rising blood sugar levels. These are some of the gross negligence cases the Health and Disability Commission is investigating in New Zealand.

In the first case, the elderly was taken to the emergency department of the Masterton Hospital and treated with thrombolysis after suffering from a suspected stroke. According to Commissioner Anthony Hill, the resident surgeon of the hospital was not sure which medicine to give. He contacted a bigger hospital, Wellington's Capital and Coast DHB, to consult the problem.

Unfortunately, a miscommunication occurred and the surgeon thought he was to give his patient a tenecteplase drug instead t-PA alteplas which was the correct medicine.

After being given the wrong medication, the elderly man died from brain hemorrhage. Mr Hill explained that the drug, tenecteplase, should not have been used to treat a patient who suffered a stroke. The correct application should be on heart attacks.

Mr Hill said the staff from the two hospitals made mistakes that caused a patient's death. The house surgeon should have consulted with other doctors in his own hospital.

The District Health Board has apologised to the family of the unidentified elderly patient and made sure to distribute its Learning Report of the case to other health departments in New Zealand. The board hopes that hospitals will learn from the case and help reduce the chances of it happening again.

Doctor fails to inform patient of diabetes risk

In another case, an elderly woman was diagnosed with diabetes after her doctor failed to inform her that her blood sugar levels were rising. She had undergone several blood tests in the past but her doctor said nothing about the risk of getting diabetes.

Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner Rose Wall reported that the elderly woman had visited her doctor numerous times in over 20 months. Her doctor ordered blood tests. The results of the test would have been indicated if the patient was at risk of diabetes.

Ms Wall blamed the doctor for not informing the woman about her results. The patient's condition had worsened over time and she was eventually admitted to a hospital. It was only then that the woman knew she had diabetes.

If the doctor had informer her earlier, the patient could have made lifestyle decisions and get access to treatment immediately. She and her family received an apology from the doctor.

The Medical Council of New Zealand is tasked to review the competence of doctors to continue their practice. Doctors who failed to do their duties and caused harm to patients may be subject to the council's scrutiny.

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