Dennis Quaid's Twins Almost Die in Hospital

Medical mistakes are a leading cause of death in this country, and almost led to the death of Dennis Quaid's newly born infants. As he recounted on CBS news program 60 Minutes, Quaid's twins were given an overdose of blood thinner called heparin on November 20, 2007. The infants' blood turned to the consistency of water, according to the New York Times, and they were bruised and bleeding profusely.

Quaid filed a lawsuit against Baxter Healthcare, which manufactures the drug. The actor claims that the packaging for adult and child doses are not distinguishable enough.

Quaid is most troubled by the Santa Monica, California hospital's reaction to the ordeal. His babies were hospitalized for an infection but were okay, and Quaid and his wife left for some sleep. When they returned, they learned of the mistake, which was the result of a nurse misreading a label and issuing an adult dose. Nobody called the parents to alert them of the mistake. They found out only when they showed up at the hospital early the next morning.

His children have recovered, but other infants have died from such simple medical errors.