Family sues hospital, claims IV error killed baby

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By all accounts baby Genesis Burkett was a fighter.

He was born premature at just 24 weeks.

Weighing just 1 pound, 8 ounces at birth, he was diagnosed with a common heart condition shortly after he was born, but was doing extremely well, according to his parents.

“Even in my stomach, I could feel that he wanted to live, and he was not one to give up easily,” remembers his mother, 27-year-old Fritzie Burkett.

Roughly six weeks after his September 3, 2010 birthday, Genesis died at Advocate Lutheran General in Park Ridge, Illinois.

The family and their attorney filed a wrongful death lawsuit Tuesday, alleging that a mishap at the hospital pharmacy killed the boy.

According to attorney Patrick Salvi, the pharmacy technician incorrectly filled an intravenous bag with 60 times the amount of sodium that Genesis’ doctor had prescribed.

The attorney also argues the hospital staff then covered up the sticker on the IV bag, which correctly described the amount of sodium actually, with a sticker that displayed the doctor’s original prescribed amount.

Salvi said the hospital admits to several mistakes.

“It was determined that a data entry error was made in the formulation of the IV solution. The dosage of sodium for an IV bag from an order had been incorrectly entered into the machine that mixes IV solutions,” hospital spokeswoman Kelly Jo Golson said in a statement.

The hospital said it’s taken “Comprehensive steps across Advocate to ensure this type of tragedy does not happen again,” adding: “Our prayers continue to be with the family.”

The loss to the couple, who had two miscarriages before Genesis was born, has been “devastating,” said Salvi.

Fritzie Burkett said she hopes going public will bring attention to what happened to her son.

“If we can stop another family from feeling the void that we feel, our son’s death will not be in vain,” she said.