Major Mistake on Unvax DD in ER

[mayapapayam]

ER physician gave my unvaccinated 4 y/o DD Tdap after I specifically requested NO Vaccines, specifically no Dtap and only consented to TIG (tetanus immunoglobulin). I made the staff aware of the mistake the next day after a long night at the hospital. now that i'm home, im realizing the immensity of the mistake. Not only was she vaccinated against my wishes, she was given Tdap instead of the Dtap they tried to sneak in...Tdap is UNLICENSED for kids under 7 y/o and is considered a booster for vaccinated kids. I specifically told ER phys that i would only accept TIG as it was the only logical tetanus protection for the immediate situation ( a highly infected Closed wound on dd foot.) i feel very upset and am wondering what to do next and what my recourse is. any advice/wisdom is greatly appreciated.

[Kirsten]

I don't know, but I'm so sorry! I would be livid. I assume they did it when you weren't there?

[knowerofnada]

I'm so sorry, mama. I would be angrier than words can describe, and out for blood.

How did you inform of them "no vaccines"? And how was the "mistake" brought to your attention? Details, please.

[Deborah]

the biggest question is whether she received the TIG?

If she is actually at risk of tetanus this is the only thing which will provide some protection. The vaccine, of any variety, is useless under the circumstances you describe.

[emma1325]

Originally Posted by mayapapayam

ER physician gave my unvaccinated 4 y/o DD Tdap after I specifically requested NO Vaccines, specifically no Dtap and only consented to TIG (tetanus immunoglobulin). I made the staff aware of the mistake the next day after a long night at the hospital. now that i'm home, im realizing the immensity of the mistake. Not only was she vaccinated against my wishes, she was given Tdap instead of the Dtap they tried to sneak in...Tdap is UNLICENSED for kids under 7 y/o and is considered a booster for vaccinated kids. I specifically told ER phys that i would only accept TIG as it was the only logical tetanus protection for the immediate situation ( a highly infected Closed wound on dd foot.) i feel very upset and am wondering what to do next and what my recourse is. any advice/wisdom is greatly appreciated.

I know someone whose infant was given the Tdap by mistake, and the baby nearly died from it.

I'm not trying to scare you and obviously your 4 year old is much bigger than an infant, but seriously, I would probably contact a lawyer over this issue and make a HUGE deal over it.

We need to make these hospitals and clinics AFRAID to give vaccines for fear of being sued. Then maybe they'd start treating these potentially deadly drugs with the care that is required.

[emma1325]

One more thing...how long has it been since this happened? Because you might want to take her in and get her blood drawn and checked for the specific ingredients of the vaccine so that you have evidence that it was given. Medical records have the tendency to change and/or get lost and nurses "forget" what drugs they gave when a potential lawsuit is on the horizon.

[eireann]

Originally Posted by mayapapayam

ER physician gave my unvaccinated 4 y/o DD Tdap after I specifically requested NO Vaccines, specifically no Dtap and only consented to TIG (tetanus immunoglobulin). I made the staff aware of the mistake the next day after a long night at the hospital. now that i'm home, im realizing the immensity of the mistake. Not only was she vaccinated against my wishes, she was given Tdap instead of the Dtap they tried to sneak in...Tdap is UNLICENSED for kids under 7 y/o and is considered a booster for vaccinated kids. I specifically told ER phys that i would only accept TIG as it was the only logical tetanus protection for the immediate situation ( a highly infected Closed wound on dd foot.) i feel very upset and am wondering what to do next and what my recourse is. any advice/wisdom is greatly appreciated.

i. am. so. sorry. what a NIGHTMARE.

[medusaatemydog]

i would get some sleep and asap i would wake up and call a lawyer and sue that doctor, i would spend my time making sure this doctor would never forget my face. One way or another I would make sure that this doctor is made very uncomfortable with any available resources..... If a doctor vaccinated my child without my consent it would be a very bad scene...

[Marnica]

Ditto to above posts. I smell a LAWSUIT.

Medical "mistakes" happen all the time. Wrong medications are administered and people die...this is why doctors malpractice insurance is so high and why hospitals have teams of lawyers on standby. Its sick

[spero]

Get copies of the medical records from that visit ASAP.

Report all staff involved to the state medical board.

Speak to an attorney.

[alegna]

Originally Posted by emma1325

I know someone whose infant was given the Tdap by mistake, and the baby nearly died from it.

I'm not trying to scare you and obviously your 4 year old is much bigger than an infant, but seriously, I would probably contact a lawyer over this issue and make a HUGE deal over it.

We need to make these hospitals and clinics AFRAID to give vaccines for fear of being sued. Then maybe they'd start treating these potentially deadly drugs with the care that is required.

I wouldn't really be worried about that. I would think that if that happened it was more of a fluke. My understanding is that TdaP actually has LESS of the "effective ingredients" than DTaP

-Angela

[luminesce]

Originally Posted by alegna

I wouldn't really be worried about that. I would think that if that happened it was more of a fluke. My understanding is that TdaP actually has LESS of the "effective ingredients" than DTaP

-Angela

Yes, this is true. The capital letters could be thought of as denoting a full dose. DTaP has MORE of Diptheria and Pertussis than Tdap. (The a goes with the P for acellular pertussis.) I think there are a couple of reasons for this. One, younger kids need MORE to develop a protective immune response and two, adolescents and adults tend to react more strongly (in way of adverse reactions) if given the bigger infant dose. It does seem a little backwards, I know But, I think the reason Tdap is licensed for older kids, not younger ones, is because it wouldn't work as well in younger ones (and probably also because it technically wasn't studying for safety in that age group.)

ETA: I don't think I'd worry too much about the difference in the vaccination for age groups now that it has happened. But, I do think what they did was a blatant violation of informed consent and they should have not given a vaccine to an patient in an unlicensed age group.

[MadziesMom]

i agree!

I agree with the
get the records, staff names and contact a lawyer who is well versed in similar cases of vaccine abuse or effects so they have some fire for your canon so to speak.. I don't know taht a reg lawyer would be as helpful on such a special and controversial issue..
So sorry that happened .. sending you love and light~
Madziesmom

[gbailey]

Originally Posted by medusaatemydog

i would get some sleep and asap i would wake up and call a lawyer and sue that doctor, i would spend my time making sure this doctor would never forget my face. One way or another I would make sure that this doctor is made very uncomfortable with any available resources..... If a doctor vaccinated my child without my consent it would be a very bad scene...

Ditto. I am not speaking of Op's situation because I was not there but I wonder if these docs do this kind of thing on purpose.

[bubbles]

Pretty much the same thing happened to me. I didn't pursue it but I wish I had. I learned from that that anytime we are in a similar situation I will be very diligent about reading all labels and checking everything that is administered to my child (even if it is 2am and I have had no sleep). Thankfully, my son had no apparent adverse reactions and I hope that his strong and healthy system has handled it ok.

[SunshineJ]

I agree with a pp - the very first thing I would do is get a copy of her records and make sure she got the TIG - from everything I understand, the vaccination is useless if she has a current tetnus infection in the works! That would be my first concern. After that I would raise holy you know what to the roof and back. You informed them of no vax - how do they know it wasn't because she was allergic to a specific ingredient found in the Tdap or DTaP? They don't. I don't know how far you'll get with a lawsuit about the Tdap but if they didn't give her the tig then they're endangering her well being. I would be LIVID. Good luck!

K.