Michael Smith, MD, was fined $10,000 by the Connecticut Medical Examining Board for administering the wrong drug to a patient before a surgery in December 2020, according to a March 21 report from CT Insider.
The state's department of health found that Dr. Smith injected the knee surgery patient with tranexamic acid instead of anesthetic bupivacaine, resulting in the patient experiencing seizure activity. Because of this, investigators determined Dr. Smith failed to meet the standard of care.
Dr. Smith challenged the discipline by claiming the tranexamic acid had been accidentally placed on the anesthesia cart but admitted to injecting the patient with the wrong drug, the report said.
However, the department of health argued Dr. Smith was responsible for checking which medicine he was administering. In addition to the fine, he had his license reprimanded by the board, and he took educational courses. The hospital he works at has also implemented new policies to reduce errors.