“My Son Did Not Have to Die” from Prescribed Drug

On July 23, 2007, my 17-year-old son, Logan Parker, underwent successful surgery at a freestanding ASC to correct his sleep apnea. He received IV morphine in the PACU: 2 mg administered 3 times over 20 minutes beginning at 12:50 p.m. His IV was removed 8 minutes later and he was discharged at 1:25 p.m., just 15 minutes after his last dose. A few hours later, as he recovered at home, Logan stopped breathing. Although I’m a recovery room nurse at a local hospital, I never imagined my son would become my patient. I immediately began to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. A few minutes later, Logan’s heart stopped and I began chest compressions until the paramedics arrived. They intubated him on the floor of my living room before transporting him to a local hospital.