Quebec teen’s hospital death from morphine preventable, coroner finds
Posted November 26, 2018 11:41 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
MONTREAL — A Quebec coroner has found the death of a 17-year-old in January following a routine appendix removal was highly preventable.
In a report to be made public Tuesday, coroner Dr. Louis Normandin concludes Jimmy Lee Durocher did not receive proper follow-up care after his operation.
Durocher went into cardiorespiratory arrest after receiving a morphine dose.
The report suggests there were a number of signs Durocher was not doing well after receiving the morphine, but staff at the Joliette, Que. hospital failed to act.
His condition steadily worsened, and Durocher was ultimately declared dead after being transferred to a Montreal hospital.
Normandin ruled Durocher’s death accidental, noting that no one could have predicted his reaction to the pain drug. But he is recommending hospitals follow protocols for the administration of narcotics.
Jean-Pierre Menard, a Montreal lawyer representing Durocher’s parents, said they want to ensure similar lapses don’t happen in the future.
“The goal of the parents is to bring some change, to ensure everyone respects and complies with the protocols,” Menard said on Monday. “And to avoid a repetition of such a terrible event.”
The Canadian Press
