What is Gentamicin Poisoning?

Gentamicin is an antibiotic used to treat serious bacterial infections in many different parts of the body, when used in the correct doses it is a useful medicine, however we have clients who suffer from Gentamicin poisoning, which is when too much of this powerful medicine is administered and it causes life-changing conditions.

Gentamicin side effects

Medical Negligence Solicitor and head of the department, Jacqueline White, talks about the serious side effects of Gentamicin and the many cases she has dealt with.

“Gentamicin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic, that is one used to treat bacterial infections, and with many of my clients the dosage given to them has been an important factor -  body weight and length of time using the drug are vital in its administration and those taking it should have regular blood tests,” said Jacqueline.

Gentamicin Toxicity can cause kidney damage and renal failure, nerve damage, ototoxicity (damage to the ear, such as hearing loss, vertigo or ringing in the ears (tinnitus) and the latter are all very common symptoms that often alert people to the problem.

What is Gentamicin used for?

“When used correctly it is a great antibiotic and is used in the treatment of respiratory tract infections, urinary tract infections, blood, bone and soft tissue infections.  With careful monitoring patients react extremely well, however when clients come to us with gentamicin poisoning they have been given too much of the medicine, either intravenously or topically,” said Jacqueline White.

“As with all treatments informed consent for Gentamicin should always be obtained. This should include advice on the risks and benefits of Gentamicin and also on the alternative treatments.”

“It can also be a problem in patients with renal problems as it exacerbates any issues and in many elderly patients renal function should be properly assessed before beginning therapy, as well as during treatment, and as we see all too often this is not always the case and so they end up with gentamicin toxicity,” warned Jaqueline.

Gentamicin Toxicity Claims

Pearson Solicitors have vast experience handling a wide variety of Gentamicin Toxicity claims and below are some of the cases we have handled for client:

• Vestibulotoxicity with Gentamicin

  The Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, formerly the Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, admitted a breach of duty of care in this case as other less toxic antibiotics could have been used.  In this case the client, a 60-year-old man was given too much of the antibiotic and our gentamicin solicitors negotiated a £76,444 settlement.

• Gentamicin ototoxicity and vestibular damage

  In this case a client received £250,000 compensation due to negligent mismanagement of her antibiotic therapy at Barnet Hospital on two occasions and Bart’s Hospital on one occasion. The case against the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and Bart’s Health NHS Trust was settled out of court by our medical negligence solicitors.

• Nephrotoxicity

  After failures in his treatment, our client was given 3,420 milligrams of Gentamicin instead of 1,480 milligrams.  The Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust made an out-of-court settlement for £175,000.

• Gentamicin Wrongly given
  The East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust made the settlement of £100,000 admitting negligence. The hospital failed to make our client aware of the risks associated with his treatment given his medical history and an extreme reaction to it in the past.

How can we help?

If you have the symptoms or believe you’ve been wrongly administered Gentamicin we can advise on whether or not it is feasible to make a claim and give information on our No Win No Fee options and other potential methods of funding.

Call us today on 0161 785 3500 or enquiries@pearsonlegal.co.uk to arrange for your free consultation with an experienced Gentamicin Solicitors.

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Please note that the information and opinions contained in this article are not intended to be comprehensive, nor to provide legal advice. No responsibility for its accuracy or correctness is assumed by Pearson Solicitors and Financial Advisers Ltd or any of its members or employees. Professional legal advice should be obtained before taking, or refraining from taking, any action as a result of this article.