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Post by jmo on Jan 30, 2008 13:53:18 GMT -5
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Dr. Julius Pham's stomach churned when he saw a critically ill heart patient getting an antibiotic instead of a drug to support his blood pressure -- the kind of mix-up that is increasingly common in the United States, according to a new report. "If you have ever had that sinking feeling that drops to the bottom of your stomach, I had it," Pham, then a critical care physician at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, told reporters. "Unfortunately, the patient did not do well." A nurse had confused Levophed, which can boost blood pressure, with the antibiotic Levaquin. The rate of drug name mix-ups has more than doubled since 2004, the U.S. Pharmacopeia said in a report on Tuesday. more
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