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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Two premature infants died after receiving adult doses of a blood thinner, a hospital said Sunday, blaming the incident on human error.
Four other infants in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit of Methodist Hospital also received adult doses of Heparin, and one might need surgery, said Sam Odle, chief executive of Methodist and Indiana University Hospitals. The other three were in serious condition.
Two babies born at 25 and 26 weeks' gestation died Saturday night, Odle said. Both were born in the last week, officials said. A full-term pregnancy lasts 38 to 42 weeks.
"These are very, very small babies," Odle said. "We are confident that no other infants except for the six were affected."
Heparin is routinely used in premature infants to prevent blood clots that could clog intravenous drug tubes, said Dr. James Lemons, a neonatologist at Riley Hospital for Children.
An overdose could cause severe internal bleeding, he said.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Two premature infants died after receiving adult doses of a blood thinner, a hospital said Sunday, blaming the incident on human error.
Four other infants in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit of Methodist Hospital also received adult doses of Heparin, and one might need surgery, said Sam Odle, chief executive of Methodist and Indiana University Hospitals. The other three were in serious condition.
Two babies born at 25 and 26 weeks' gestation died Saturday night, Odle said. Both were born in the last week, officials said. A full-term pregnancy lasts 38 to 42 weeks.
"These are very, very small babies," Odle said. "We are confident that no other infants except for the six were affected."
Heparin is routinely used in premature infants to prevent blood clots that could clog intravenous drug tubes, said Dr. James Lemons, a neonatologist at Riley Hospital for Children.
An overdose could cause severe internal bleeding, he said.