Quaid's Twins Given Accidental Overdose

The newborn twins of Dennis Quaid and his wife, Kimberly, were reportedly given an accidental overdose of blood thinner at a hospital.

The celebrity Web site TMZ.com said the actor's children, Thomas Boone and Zoe Grace, were given heparin, used to prevent clotting, in a dose 1,000 times stronger than what was prescribed. Citing unidentified sources, the site said the children were in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's neonatal intensive care unit.

The hospital apologized Tuesday to the families of three patients involved, but said it could not release the names because of confidentiality laws. It said tests indicated that there were no adverse effects on the patients.

In a statement, Quaid's publicist, Cara Tripicchio, said, "Dennis and Kimberly appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers and hope they can maintain their privacy during this difficult time."

Allen Vaida, executive vice president of the Institute for Safe Medication practices says infants have accidentally overdoed on heparin before. Three babies in Indiana died because they were premature and already vulnerable when they received several doses over a period of time, he said.

"It's available in varying concentrations and many times the vials look alike," he told Early Show co-anchor Julie Chen. "This could be an issue with how the vials were stocked. It could be because the nurses were mixing medications on the unit. So, there are several causes for this, although we don't know the exact circumstances in this case."

Fortunately, he said, heparin has an antidote, protamine, which the babies likely received.

Suanne Buggy, a state Department of Public Health spokeswoman, said the agency is investigating reports of an incident involving newborn twins at the hospital. She did not elaborate.

Cedars-Sinai's chief medical officer, Michael L. Langberg, said in a statement that on Sunday three patients each received vials containing 10,000 units per milliliter of heparin instead of vials with a concentration of 10 units per milliliter.

Once the hospital staff realized the "preventable error," they did tests to measure the patients' blood clotting function, Langberg said Tuesday. One patient's test was normal, but two patients required a drug that reverses the effects of heparin, he said.

Further tests on the two "indicated no adverse effects from the higher concentration of heparin," Langberg said. "Doctors continue to monitor the patients."

"I want to extend my deepest apologies to the families who were affected by this situation," Langberg said.

Quaid and his wife are the biological parents of the twins, who were born Nov. 8 to a surrogate mother.

"God has definitely blessed us," the couple said in a statement announcing their birth.

Quaid, 53, has a 15-year-old son, Jack Henry Quaid, from his marriage to actress Meg Ryan.

His screen credits include "Great Balls of Fire!" "Any Given Sunday," "The Big Easy" and "Far From Heaven."