Actor Dennis Quaid is accusing Cedars-Sinai hospital of trying to  cover up the error they made in giving his newborn twins an overdose of blood-thinner.

Quaid and wife, Kimberley Buffington, spent harrowing weeks while their son and daughter struggled to recover from a massive overdose of heparin they were given in the hospital's neo-natal unit. Thankfully, they are now fine.

But the actor maintains that he and his wife were told that Zoe Grace and Thomas Boone had been given only half the overdose they actually got. However, a state investigation by the California Department of Public Health found that the Quaid children, and one other unnamed baby, received two of the 10,000 unit vials. The 20-page report found that the drug overdose had put the babies in "immediate jeopardy," meaning it has caused, or was likely to cause, "serious injury or death…" 

The report incensed the Quaids. "We find it outrageous and totally unacceptable that we are learning for the first time… exactly what transpired," the couple said in a statement. "We were told by upper Cedars-Sinai administration that our children had received only one 10,000 unit dose of heparin when in fact they had received two 10,000 unit doses over an eight-hour period that we now know of. The hospital's lack of candour has left us with the uneasy feeling that we may never know the whole story," they said.

The Quaids have sued Baxter Healthcare, the makers of heparin, accusing the firm of negligence in packaging different doses of the product in similar vials.

The hospital had apologised to the families and said it has taken step to provide more training to staff and review all policies and procedures involving high-risk medication.

[The Press Association]