A Top End woman who claims she suffered a hypoxic brain injury after a doctor mistakenly gave her a “toxic dose” of the wrong medication ahead of routine surgery is suing the Northern Territory government for negligence.

In documents filed with the Supreme Court, Kimberley Gleed says she was admitted to Palmerston Regional Hospital (PRH) in March 2022 for surgery to remove a benign tumour from her wrist.

But the 36-year-old claims she was rushed to the emergency room and placed in an induced coma after a doctor administered the drug “in error” while she was being anaesthetised.

Blurred figures in hospital uniform walk through a hallway past an open room labelled BED 18

The NT government has admitted the doctor’s error, but disputes that the amount of drug administered amounted to a “toxic dose”. (ABC News: Jayden O’Neill)

Ms Gleed claims an unnamed doctor at the hospital had meant to administer the anti-nausea drug ondansetron but instead gave her 10 milligrams of metaraminol, used to treat hypotension.

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Ms Gleed claims she was not hypotensive at the time and metaraminol should only be administered “in small incremental doses” at a maximum of 1mg at a time, with 10mg amounting to “a toxic dose”.

“The doctor had intended to administer the plaintiff intravenous ondansetron and not metaraminol,” the document reads.

As a result of the mistake, Ms Gleed claims her heart rate fell to about 25 beats per minute and her blood pressure spiked before she “developed acute pulmonary oedema”.

Ms Gleed says she was then rushed to the intensive care unit (ICU) at Royal Darwin Hospital where she was diagnosed with “severe left ventricular dysfunction in the context of high dose metaraminol”.

Two days later, Ms Gleed says she was discharged from the ICU but remained an outpatient for a further two days.

A woman wearing bright, fruit-patterned hospital scrubs leans over with pen and paper

Ms Gleed says the doctor had meant to administer ondansetron but gave her metaraminol by mistake instead. (ABC News: Jayden O’Neill)

“At all material times the defendant owed a non-delegable duty to exercise reasonable care, skill and attention in the provision of anaesthetic services to the plaintiff,” the statement of claim reads.

“The standard of care owed by the defendant to the plaintiff was that of a reasonably competent medical practitioner involved in the administration of anaesthesia.”

Ms Gleed claims the botched anesthesia left her with a hypoxic brain injury, “post ICU syndrome”, post-traumatic stress disorder, a cognitive impairment and depression, among other symptoms.

She is seeking compensation for medical expenses, ongoing care and loss of earnings.

NT admits breach

In a defence filed with the court, the NT government admits it breached its duty of care to Ms Gleed when the doctor administered the metaraminol “in error”.

The exterior of a large multi-coloured building, with the words: Palmerston Regional Hospital.

The NT government has admitted a doctor at Palmerston Regional Hospital breached their duty of care by giving Ms Gleed the wrong medication. (ABC News: Michael Franchi)

But the government denies 10mg of the drug amounted to a “toxic dose” and that metaraminol should only be used in small doses for the short-term management of acute hypotension.

The NT government also admits Ms Gleed “suffered injury, loss and damage” as a result of its negligence but does not admit the specific injuries and damage as claimed.

The case returns to court on May 18.