Hospitals

tient’s room and sexually assault her. Penalty: $47,250

• Methodist Hospital of Sacramento

Because rules for giving high-risk medications to patients weren’t followed, a pregnant woman in labor who should have received a drug used to stimulate contractions was instead given a drug that increases blood pressure in critically ill patients. That damaged the woman’s heart muscle, and could have caused her death.

Penalty: $47,452

• Desert Regional Medical Center, Palm Springs

Investigators found that an emergency room nurse gave a patient a blood transfusion with the wrong blood type. That led to the patient’s kidney

failure, multiple medical treatments to remove harmful wastes and excess fluid, and prolonged hospitalization which could have resulted in the patient’s death. Penalty: $82,500

• California Pacific Medical Center — Davies Campus Hospital, San Francisco

Investigators said a stroke patient who was given a higher than ordered amount of medication to prevent blood clotting may have contributed to the patient’s brain death.

Penalty: $47,452

• California Pacific Medical Center — Davies Campus Hospital, San Francisco

A female patient suffering from delirium and at high risk for falls was required to have a sitter watch over her. At some point, the sitter left the woman alone in the room; the woman stood up and fell, striking her face on the floor. She suffered bleeding on the brain, which led to her decline and death several months later.

Penalty: $66,600

• Regional Medical Center, San Jose

Investigators determined that the hospital failed to give drugs immediately — as ordered — to a 52-year-old man in a neck brace who had fallen at his home. The hospital staff delayed giving one drug to prevent blood clots and another to prevent additional seizures for about four hours and 1.5 hours, respectively. The delays contributed to a rapid decline in his health and may have resulted in significant physical impairment.

Penalty: $33,300