We have been consulted in numerous interesting cases that demonstrate that even drugs deemed generally safe for use can show serious side effects if certain factors go wrong.

If the drug dosing is incorrect, if the drug is not administered properly, if too much drug is given (overdose), if the patient has a condition in which the drug is contraindicated (not supposed to be used); these all can negatively impact how the drug effect will be seen in the patient and how serious unwanted, toxic side effects can be.

There are two cases that we were asked to provide expert opinions on that showed very significant and debilitating effects of a generally safe class of drugs used for imaging (radiology) procedures. In both cases, the patients experienced medication errors in which they were incorrectly administered contrast agents in their myelography imaging procedures.  

The summaries provided below highlight the acute and long-term complications which developed. Following the summaries, we have provided our interpretations on how these drugs may have caused the injuries and our commentary on medication errors in myelography procedures.

Read the case reports at ℞isk.org