CHICAGO, September 26, 2005 -- On Friday evening (September 23, 2005), a Cook County Circuit Court jury awarded $3.2 million to an 81-year-old Alsip resident who suffered permanent kidney damage as a result of a medication error at Little Company of Mary Hospital.

In June 2000, Betty Kunz, then 75 years old, entered the Evergreen Park hospital for treatment of an infection in her right knee.  Physicians at the hospital placed Mrs. Kunz on the intravenous antibiotic gentamicin, and noted in the patient’s chart that the drug should be discontinued after several days, when the patient would be discharged to a local nursing home for rehabilitation.

At the time of discharge from the hospital, however, a nurse prepared a transfer form which incorrectly stated that Mrs. Kunz should continue to receive gentamicin every twelve hours. Gentamicin is known to be highly toxic to the kidneys if given over a prolonged period. The transfer form accompanied Mrs. Kunz to the local nursing home, ManorCare Palos Heights East.  Based on the incorrect information regarding gentamicin in the transfer form, nursing home staff continued to give Mrs. Kunz gentamicin for four more days.  As a result of the prolonged course of gentamicin, Mrs. Kunz suffered permanent kidney damage, and now must undergo kidney dialysis three days per week to survive.

The jury found Little Company of Mary Hospital guilty of medical negligence for the conduct of its nurse.  The jury absolved the nursing home and Mrs. Kunz’s physicians of any wrongdoing.

Mrs. Kunz was represented by trial attorneys Christopher T. Hurley and Mark R. McKenna of the Chicago firm of Hurley McKenna & Mertz.