A PREGNANT woman wearing an 'alert' wristband warning she was allergic to penicillin was still given the drug in hospital and almost died, it has emerged.
The alarming error was revealed in details of 'serious adverse incidents' (SAIs) across the Northern Ireland health service - which almost doubled in the space of a year.
A report reveals how the expectant mother was prescribed an intravenous form of penicillin, but despite a midwife raising concerns due to the patient's allergy she was informed by a colleague to "go ahead" and give it.
The woman went into anaphylactic shock - a life-threatening reaction to a drug - and was admitted to an intensive care unit where she "eventually recovered".
It is not known what happened to her baby.
Alarmingly, it emerged that the health trust concerned did not even have a 'protocol' in place to manage anaphylaxis in hospitals.
Such protocols are routine in many schools across the north.
The Health and Social Care Board - the main investigator of SAIs along with the Public Health Agency - did not publish the name of the hospital.
However, a safety alert about administering drugs to patients with allergies was issued to midwives, nurses and pharmacists across the health service on the back of the case.
There were a total of 380 SAIs reported to the Health and Social Care Board and Public Health Agency in 2013 - but this figure rose to 727 the following year.
The case of the pregnant woman was among 366 SAIs between October last year and March this year.
Major failings in maternity services and blunders around 'misidentification' of elderly hospital patients were among other concerns raised in the confidential probes.
