Contaminated medication allegedly leads to infection after heart surgery

A Belleville hospital and a pharmacy is accused of giving a patient contaminated medication after undergoing heart surgery, causing the patient to develop an infection.

Plaintiff Melissa Owens filed the three-count lawsuit against defendants New England Compounding Pharmacy, Inc., doing business as New England’s Compounding Center, St. Elizabeth’s Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, doing business as St. Elizabeth’s Hospital and Dr. John D. Sadoff on Oct. 27 in the St. Clair County Circuit Court.

According to the complaint, Owens underwent open heart coronary bypass surgery at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital on Aug. 27, 2012. Sadoff performed the surgery.

Subsequent to her heart surgery, Owens allegedly developed a severe infection. On Oct. 26, 2012, she learned that her post-surgical infection was caused by certain contaminated medications produced by New England Compounding Pharmacy that were not sterile, the suit states.

The complaint also states that the when the medication left the control of the pharmacy, it was in a defective, unreasonably dangerous condition.

Owens accuses St. Elizabeth’s Hospital for negligently failing to provide adequate infection control, selling and administering contaminated medication, failing to provide adequate nursing treatment, failing to adequately treating the plaintiff and failing to properly observe sterile procedures in the treatment of the plaintiff.

As a result of the contaminated medication, Owens alleges she suffered severe and permanently disabling injuries and sustained “great pain and mental anguish.” More specifically, she allegedly suffers from a deep sternal wound infection and failed to adequately recover from her heart surgery.

She claims she lost her normal life and has incurred medical expenses and will continue to do so.

In her complaint, Owens alleges that Sadoff “may be knowledgeable of certain facts that can be ascertained in the course of discovery which may prove essential to determination as to whether or not or who should be properly named as additional defendants in this action.”

Therefore, she requests Sadoff to provide appropriate discovery as to the nature of the case.

Owens seeks a judgment exceeding $50,000 for each count and costs of the suit.

Bruce N. Cook of Cook, Ysursa, Bartholomew, Brauer & Shevlin, LTD.  in Belleville represents Owens.

St. Clair County Circuit Court case number 14-L-708