What drug did Vanderbilt nurse give?

She mistakenly administered the powerful paralytic vecuronium instead, which led to total muscle paralysis and stopped Murphey's ability to breathe and caused her death.

What medication did the nurse at Vanderbilt give wrong?

Murphey was prescribed Versed, a sedative, but Vaught inadvertently gave her a fatal dose of vecuronium, a powerful paralyzer.

What happened to the nurse who gave vecuronium instead of Versed?

'¹ Vaught incorrectly administered vecuronium, instead of Versed® (midazolam) as ordered, without patient monitoring, and immediately reported the error. VUMC fired her, negotiated a family settlement, failed to disclose the error, and reported natural cause of death.

What happened to the nurse who gave the wrong medication?

A former nurse whose medication error killed a patient in Tennessee was sentenced to three years of probation on Friday, ending a case that had prompted concern among health care workers fearful that medical mistakes will be criminalized.

What happened with nurse RaDonda?

— Tennessee court rejects former nurse's appeal to overturn nursing board's 2021 decision. RaDonda Vaught, the former nurse who was convicted of negligent homicide for a patient's death, has lost her bid to get her nursing license back.

FATAL MEDICATION ERROR - Radonda Vaught

How much vecuronium did Vaught give?

Vaught accidentally obtained a vial of Vecuronium Bromide – a paralytic used during surgery while a patient is intubated – instead of Versed. Ms. Vaught reconstituted the medication and administered what she believed was 1 mg of Versed, but was actually Vecuronium Bromide, to Ms. Murphey at her bedside in radiology.

Why did RaDonda give the wrong med?

An investigation report said that Vaught could not find a sedative named Versed in the cabinet, so she overrode a safeguard that unlocked more powerful medications. Vaught then typed "VE" into the cabinet's search tool and selected the first medication it suggested, not realizing she had chosen vecuronium, not Versed.

Why did RaDonda Vaught override the medication?

Vaught had tried to withdraw Versed from an automated dispensing cabinet, and when that did not work, she used an override which allowed her access to a larger array of medications. Murphey was to be given Versed prior to an MRI scan, a procedure requiring patients to remain very still for 15 minutes or longer.

What kind of nurse was RaDonda?

What kind of nurse was RaDonda Vaught? RaDonda Vaught, now 38, is a former nurse who was employed in the ICU at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She faced homicide charges after a medication error contributed to the death of 75-year-old Charlene Murphey in December 2017.

Is vecuronium the same as Versed?

Understand: If you want to give a patient brand name Versed, and type in “VE”, another medication, with a generic name that starts with “VE” can also pop up in a list of medications too. Another medication that starts with “VE” is the generic name medication vecuronium. Vecuronium is not the same as Versed.

Are nurses allowed to push vecuronium?

The registered nurse (RN) may administer Propofol, Etomidate and neuromuscular blocking agents (only Succinylcholine, Rocuronium and Vecuronium) to the non-intubated patient in a hospital setting for the purpose of rapid sequence intubation when the clinical presentation of impending respiratory failure is imminent.

Who was the nurse who accidentally killed a patient?

Vanderbilt nurse RaDonda Vaught killed a patient by accidentally giving the wrong medicine.

Who was the nurse who went to jail for medication error?

Nurses around the country rallied for RaDonda Vaught during her criminal trial, saying the risk of going to prison for a mistake made nursing intolerable. Vaught was ultimately sentenced to three years of probation.

Did the Vanderbilt nurse lose her license?

Vanderbilt fired Ms. Vaught in January 2018, and the Tennessee Board of Nursing stripped her of her license in July 2021.

Did the nurse from Vanderbilt go to jail?

Former VUMC nurse RaDonda Vaught sentenced to 3 years supervised probation. A former Vanderbilt University Medical Center nurse is sentenced to three years of supervised probation.

What is the controversy with Vanderbilt hospital?

The plaintiffs allege that Vanderbilt turned over non-anonymized medical records to the state without the patients' knowledge, and that the state's request for information was part of an effort “negatively targeting the transgender community,” according to the complaint.

How do nurses feel about RaDonda Vaught?

Vaught's verdict could have lasting effects

Nurses around the country have rightly argued that this type of conviction would have broad and terrible ramifications. There would be much less honesty about medical errors. Errors would more likely get covered up. Lessons would not be learned, and errors would be repeated.

Do nurses go to jail for medication errors?

Many people are involved in medical treatment —including doctors and pharmacists — but nurses often take the fall because they ultimately administered the drug, she said. Vaught's verdict is unusual in that it happened at all. Nurses typically aren't charged with crimes for medical errors.

Can a nurse date a former patient?

In general, is is highly advisable to keep your personal and professional lives separate. A relationship that crosses professional boundaries can result in discipline from your employer or from your state's board of nursing. In some cases a relationship with a patient may even be in violation of criminal law.

What type of unit did RaDonda Vaught work on?

Who is RaDonda Vaught, and what did she do? RaDonda Vaught was a registered nurse in the neurointensive care unit at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

What did the nurse give instead of Versed?

Vaught was tasked to retrieve Versed from a computerized medication cabinet but instead grabbed a powerful paralyzer, vecuronium.

What was the error in Versed vecuronium?

The patient was supposed to get Versed, a sedative intended to calm her before being scanned in a large, MRI-like machine. But Vaught accidentally grabbed vecuronium, a powerful paralyzer, which stopped the patient's breathing and left her brain-dead before the error was discovered.

Is vecuronium fatal?

Root Causes of Vecuronium Mix-ups

Vecuronium and other neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) have a well-documented history of causing catastrophic injuries or death when used in error.

What are the three checks of medication administration?

The three checks of medication administration are right documentation, right reason, and right response. Each check is essential to ensure proper use of the five rights of medication administration.

What is the antidote for vecuronium?

Reversal of vecuronium can be accomplished by administration of sugammadex which is a γ-cyclodextrin which encapsulates vecuronium preventing it from binding to receptors. Reversal can also be accomplished with neostigmine or other cholinesterase inhibitors, but their efficacy is lower than that of sugammadex.