Articles Posted in Nursing errors

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Two years after undergoing a double mastectomy, Debbie Jackson went to Heartland Regional Medical Center for breast reconstruction surgery. During the 11-hour surgery, she was left in the same position. When she awoke, she noticed that she had lost feeling in and use of her right leg. She was later diagnosed as having a compression injury to the sciatic nerve in her right buttock.

Jackson now has pain and permanent foot drops. She is in constant risk of falling.

She sued Heartland Regional Medical Center, alleging negligent training and supervision. She asserted that the defendant’s nurses were unaware of the standards of care established by the association of peri Operative Registered Nurses applicable to extended surgeries, which require nurses to use extra padding on a patient’s buttocks to protect against compression injury to the sciatic nerve.
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On Sept. 22, 2016, Stephanie Delknap was seen by Dr. David Crawford for treatment of gastroesophageal reflux with hiatal hernia. Dr. Crawford “attempted” a partial fundoplication procedure. In the following 24 hours, Delknap experienced gagging and retching, could not tolerate food, and had “very poor input and output.” She was nonetheless discharged the following day. Within a few days, she suffered an acute recurrence of her hiatal herniation, became septic and then unfortunately died.

Jeremy Delknap and Shane Delknap, the plaintiffs, as independent co-administrators of the estate of Stephanie Delknap, filed suit against Dr. Crawford, the Peoria Surgical Group Ltd., Cynthia Martin (Delknap’s nurse), and the Methodist Medical Center of Illinois.

The plaintiffs alleged that Martin cared for Delknap and observed that she was in constant pain with intermittent crying, anxiety and signs of tachycardia and hypoxia but chose not to fully report these conditions to the doctors.
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Matthew Rossignol, a combat veteran and a father of three, underwent an annual test at the Harry Truman Veterans Administration Hospital. The test results showed that he had an eGFR of 72.7. An eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate) is a measure of how well the kidneys are functioning. The eGFR is an estimated number based on blood tests and considers age, gender and body type.

After this test was conducted and measured 72.7, in the following year after additional testing, Rossignol allegedly received a letter from the VA stating that he was being approved for further renal evaluation and that he should avoid taking NASIDS (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), and he should return for follow-up testing in six months. His eGFR fell to 4.1 approximately six years later.

Rossignol’s creatinine levels rose to 13.59. A normal creatinine blood test result is 0.7 to 1.3 mg/dL (61.9 to 114.9 µmol/L) for men. Nevertheless, the VA nurse practitioner did not discontinue Naproxen, an anti-inflammatory drug harmful to kidneys, for another full year.
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Kerri Downes, 22, discovered a lump in her right breast while showering. She went to Axia Women’s Health, where she was seen by a nurse practitioner, Eileen Carpenter. Carpenter diagnosed fibrocystic breast changes, and a follow-up exam was scheduled for two weeks later.

At this appointment, Carpenter again diagnosed bilateral fibrocystic changes. Approximately nine months later, Downes experienced itching and burning of the skin over her breast. She consulted a physician, who noticed that Downes’s right breast was larger than her left and that she had a mass in her right breast.

An ultrasound and a biopsy led to a diagnosis of Stage IIB breast cancer, with metastasis to three lymph nodes. Downes underwent a bilateral mastectomy with lymph node dissection, chemotherapy and radiation as well as breast reconstruction. Downes is now 26 and has a reduced chance of survival.
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Jay West, 59, cut the fingertip of his left thumb while using a table saw. He went to Springhill Medical Center where he was advised that a fingertip amputation was medically necessary.

After the surgery, his treating surgeon wrote an order authorizing up to 4 mg of IV Dilaudid every three hours.

West was moved to the orthopedic floor, where a nurse administered 8 mg of IV Dilaudid in a course of two hours. Almost four hours later, West was found unresponsive. Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful. West had been a carpenter. He was survived by his wife and two adult children.
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Ms. Doe underwent successful breast reconstruction surgery. She was recovering in the hospital when she began to experience weakness on one side of her body, which progressed to full-side weakness, facial drooping and loss of speech. Ms. Doe’s family members and pastor reported her symptoms to hospital nurses who allegedly documented the symptoms, but chose not to report them to Ms. Doe’s attending physician for 24 hours.

Ms. Doe was subsequently diagnosed as having suffered a stroke. She has lost complete use of one arm, has limited use of one of her legs, and has permanent loss of speech.

Ms. Doe sued the hospital, alleging liability for the nurses’ choosing not to properly respond to obvious stroke symptoms. Ms. Doe asserted that her stroke resulted from a clot that developed into a brain bleed and that doctors could have treated the clot before it caused the sustained bleeding.
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Melissa Avilez suffered from breast lumps and pain. She consulted a certified nurse midwife, Kerry-Ann Dacosta, who worked for Urban Health Plan, a federally funded clinic.

Although Avilez sought treatment from Nurse Dacosta nine times in 2015 and 2016, she was not referred to a breast surgeon.

In 2017, Avilez was diagnosed as having metastatic cancer. Before she died at age 26, Avilez sued Nurse Dacosta and the United States under the Federal Torts Claims Act (FTCA) alleging that the nurse midwife, Dacosta, chose not to follow up on her breast findings, perform a breast exam; refer Ms. Avilez to a breast surgeon; or order radiological testing, including an ultrasound.
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Crystal Guinard suffered from severe migraine headaches. She was in her thirties at the time. She received Phenergan and Toradol injections. Guinard received a Phenergan injection performed by nurse Marie Krausz, who was an employee of the urgent care clinic Patient First Maryland Medical Group. She then suffered a sciatic nerve injury in her right leg. Her injury, which has been determined to be permanent, resulted in complex regional pain syndrome, which necessitated implementation of a neurostimulator.

Phenergan is a drug often used to treat allergies and motion sickness. In addition, the drug can be used to control pain, nausea and vomiting.

Guinard filed a lawsuit against Krausz and the urgent care clinic alleging liability for Krausz’s improper handling of the injection. Guinard alleged that Krausz used incorrect anatomical markers when she handled the injection, which injured Guinard’s sciatic nerve.
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Michelle Phibbs, 29, had a history of mental illness. She was admitted to Heartland Behavioral Healthcare, a state-run psychiatric hospital, for an inpatient stay after experiencing difficulty following the death of a close family friend.

A psychiatrist diagnosed bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and alcohol abuse, among other problems, and prescribed Ativan, Geodon and Thorazine.

One morning, after Phibbs was released from restraints, a nurse noted that she had forced breathing and was gasping. In the next hour, the facility’s staff checked on Phibbs three times until a nurse found her unresponsive.
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A proposed Illinois law would limit the number of patients each hospital nurse would be allowed to care for at one time. The proposed legislation was based on a national survey, which suggested that such a rule would lead to better working conditions for nurses and would benefit patient care.

However, Illinois’ leading hospital lobbying group remained solidly opposed to the idea, arguing it would result in the closure of many hospitals, especially in less populated rural areas, and would accelerate the already rising costs of healthcare.

The survey was conducted in 2018 by the group Nurses Take DC, a national organization that lobbies for stricter nurse-to-patient ratios.
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