Doctor sued for medical malpractice in boy's death

Gary Shipman

Attorney
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The parents of a boy sued a Pennsylvania doctor for medical malpractice arising from the death of their 4 year old son.

The autistic boy died of cardiac arrest at the doctor's office after undergoing a procedure known as chelation therapy, a procedure designed to treat heavy metal poisining. The presence of Mercury has long been believed to be a cause of autism in children, and the procedure is approved by the FDA.

Chelation removes heavy metals from the body and is approved by the Food and Drug Administration only for acute heavy-metal poisoning that has been confirmed by blood tests. Some people who believe autism is caused by a mercury-containing preservative once used in vaccines say chelation may also help autistic children.

"This is a real human tragedy that never should have happened," said the attorney for the family. "The doctor had no business administering this drug to a child, and he only made matters worse by giving it much too quickly."

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Medical Malpractice and Negligent Care.