Max Hospital, Pitampura, New Delhi has been asked to pay a compensation of Rs 1.5 lakh by the State Consumer Commission as it "failed to follow the line of treatment for hyponatraemia'' and "endangered life of the patient.'.   

According to the complainant, Dr. Dhanesh Agrahari, son of PC Gupta, his father was admitted to the hospital for knee replacement surgery on 19 May 2005. He also suffered from hypertension.

After the surgery Mr. Gupta started feeling drowsy and his electrolyte sodium level started decreasing. But the attending doctors could not diagnose that the patient had developed hyponatraemia.

A dip in sodium level below 120 mg per litre is dangerous and in such a condition injection Lasix should not be given at all. But contrary to the medical norms, Mr. Gupta was given a dose of the injection. The dose was repeated without monitoring the sodium serum level which had further deteriorated to 107 mg. This worsened the condition of the patient and he had to be shifted to  ICU .

In his complaint Dr. Agrahari alleged that the two lasix injections "aggravated'' the  condition of his father and he went into unconscious state. Due to the complications that resulted from wrong treatment Gupta had to be moved to ICU and remained there for several days incurring "unnecessary expenditure.”