Family of a woman who died at LASUTH after surgery demands ₦500m, alleging a nurse injected her with vecuronium before her condition worsened.
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Mrs Adegoke allegedly died days after recovering from surgery at LASUTH.
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Family alleges a nurse injected her with vecuronium before her condition deteriorated.
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Lawyers are demanding ₦500m compensation and hospital records.
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LASUTH has not publicly responded to the allegations.
The family of a 59-year-old woman, Mrs Adegoke Mosekola Dorcas, has demanded ₦500 million compensation from the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) over her death, alleging that a nurse administered vecuronium to her after she had recovered from surgery and was preparing to leave the hospital.
The demand was contained in a letter by the family’s lawyers, Wale Ogunade Chambers, addressed to LASUTH. The lawyers accused the hospital of negligence and requested compensation, an apology and documents relating to the circumstances surrounding her death.
According to the family’s account, Mrs Adegoke was admitted to LASUTH and underwent a right adrenalectomy — a surgery to remove one of the adrenal glands — on January 11, 2024.
The family alleged that complications occurred during the procedure, including an injury to the inferior vena cava, a major vein responsible for carrying blood back to the heart, which led to significant bleeding and cardiac arrest.
They said she was subsequently managed in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), where she later improved and was moved to the surgical ward.
According to the lawyers’ letter, Mrs Adegoke regained consciousness and was considered stable enough for discharge on January 16, 2024.
However, the family alleged that while preparations were being made for her discharge, a nurse administered vecuronium, a medication used medically as a muscle relaxant, to her through an arterial line.
The family claimed the drug was presented to them as an antibiotic and alleged that shortly after the injection, she developed breathing difficulties, seizures and later suffered another cardiac arrest.
They alleged that the incident resulted in hypoxic brain injury, a condition caused by reduced oxygen supply to the brain, and that she later died on January 24, 2024.
The family’s lawyers said a post-mortem report listed the cause of death as hypoxic brain injury, cerebral oedema, adverse drug reaction and bronchopneumonia.
In their demand, the family asked LASUTH to pay ₦500 million in compensation, issue a formal apology, release internal investigation reports and provide details of any actions taken concerning the healthcare workers involved.
The lawyers reportedly gave the hospital 30 days to respond, stating that further legal and regulatory steps would follow if their demands were not addressed.
As of the reports available, LASUTH had not publicly responded to the allegations. The claims made by the family and their lawyers have not been established by a court.
