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Perth boy in ICU after hospital gives insulin overdose

A Perth mother has described the treatment of her 14-year-old son in hospital as "disgusting" after a nurse mistakenly gave him eleven times the correct does of medication. 

Chris Walton, who is a diabetic, was forced to spend 24 hours in intensive care after his mother Maria Walton questioned with doctors why he was given such a high dosage of insulin while in the emergency department at Princess Margaret Hospital on Sunday.

"We went to hospital because he had high sugar and ketones and they were supposed to help his ketones go down but instead they gave him 44 units instead of four units," she said. 

"The nurse didn't notice, me and my son actually told them, 'he'd had 44 units in emergency, why are you giving him more for?', and they panicked and then doctors and everything came out of nowhere." 

Chris was released from hospital on Tuesday with his mother labelling the actions of the medical staff disgusting. 

"He could have got brain damage if I hadn't said he's had this much amount of medication, he could have gone into a diabetic coma and possibly died," Ms Walton said. 

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"When this happened, the doctor basically told me accidents happen, no one's perfect... it's disgusting really." 

Princess Margaret Hospital executive director Michelle Dillon said a review had been launched into the incorrect dose. 

"The patient's condition was managed and the patient has now been discharged from hospital," she said. 

"PMH staff kept the family informed and provided support throughout their time in hospital.

"The incident has been reported and will undergo an internal investigation."