An intravenous saline drip hangs in a hospital ward. (123rf)
An intravenous saline drip hangs in a hospital ward. (123rf)

A South Korean hospital is under investigation after administering intravenous fluid that was four months past its expiration date to a 3-year-old child.

The incident occurred in February at a general hospital in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, according to a report by broadcaster MBN. The child had been taken to the emergency room with a fever of 40 degrees Celsius.

The child’s parent noticed the issue while the IV was being administered, finding that the expiration date on the saline solution was marked as October 2025. After being discharged, the child continued to experience a fever of around 37 degrees Celsius for more than two weeks, the report said.

The hospital told the family that the effects of using an expired IV solution were unclear, adding that bacterial test results showed no abnormalities.

The fluid in question was a sodium chloride solution, commonly used as saline. Under South Korean regulations, expired medications are prohibited from use due to potential health risks and must not be kept in circulation.

The hospital attributed the incident to human error, saying the IV had been administered by a newly hired nurse with less than two months of experience.

Health authorities plan to conduct a broader inspection of the hospital's drug management practices, amid concerns that the case may point to systemic lapses rather than an isolated mistake.

This story was written with the assistance of AI and edited by Korea Herald staff.—Ed.


hnpark@heraldcorp.com