Articles Posted in Pressure Sores

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Matthew Farrell suffered traumatic brain injury after being injured in a motor vehicle crash. He was admitted to Solterra at Castle Rock, a skilled nursing facility.

At the time of the admission, he could not move his legs. He was completely dependent on the facility for his hygiene, medical treatment and activities of daily living. The nursing facility allegedly did not reposition him regularly or keep his skin clean and dry, which left him with pressure sores on his buttocks, heels and lower back. He also became malnourished, which caused his wounds to worsen.

Within two months of admission, he was transferred to a hospital, suffering from a high fever, nausea and vomiting. At the hospital, he was diagnosed as having severe sepsis, necessitating surgical debridement, placement of a wound vac, removal of portions of his coccyx bone and surgery of a muscle flap repair.

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After being hospitalized for a stroke, Calvin Thigpen, 68, was admitted to Waters Edge Rehabilitation & Care Center in a vegetative state. During approximately the next six months, he developed pressure sores on his sacrum, his heel and the back of his head. In addition, he suffered infections and a tear to his penis.

After his death, Thigpen’s estate sued the nursing home, its owner, and its operating company, alleging negligent care and inadequate staffing.

The nursing home and its owner defaulted. The court entered a judgment in the amount of $1.4 million in favor of the Thigpen estate. It was not reported as to whether the sum was recovered.

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Nicholas Zilocchi was admitted to the Garden Spring Center Nursing Home after undergoing a leg amputation. At the time of his admission, it was recorded that he had skin tears and wounds, and he was anxious and agitated about these injuries.

Over the next few days, Zilocchi was diagnosed as having additional bed sores including one on his right heel that could not be staged. He was later admitted to a hospital for treatment of septic shock, respiratory failure and necrotic skin wounds that included his right heel. Despite the treatment that he received at this hospital, he died.

Zilocchi’s adult daughter, on behalf of the estate, sued the nursing home’s owners alleging that they chose not to treat his existing pressure ulcers and skin wounds and prevent new bed sores from developing. The lawsuit alleged that the defendants had decided not to provide basic hygiene and health care to while he was a resident at this nursing home.

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Ellis Mae Reed, 72, had a history of significant health problems that included diabetes and vascular disease. After she developed a blood clot, she was admitted to Jackson Hospital. For five days, she remained bedridden. She developed sepsis and was moved to the facility’s critical care unit, where she was diagnosed as having a Stage 4 pressure sore on her sacrum; staff administered three debridements and hospice care.

Reed unfortunately died approximately three months after her Jackson Hospital admission. She is survived by her 12 adult children.

Reed’s son, on behalf of her estate, sued the hospital, alleging that it chose not to turn and reposition her during the first five days of her hospital admission, which was the method that should have been used to prevent her pressure sore. The Reed family also alleged that the medical chart contained false entries.

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Jean Purdie was admitted to Towne Manor West Nursing Home for short-term rehabilitation services in April 2015. At the time of her admission, she suffered from hemiparesis, diabetes and hypertension. She was unable to move herself in bed.

She developed a deep tissue injury on her sacrum during her first month in this facility. Her condition deteriorated. She developed additional skin injuries, including a pressure ulcer on her right heel and abrasions to her face, arms and thigh. Purdie died in September 2015 and was survived by several adult children.

The Purdie estate sued the nursing home alleging that it chose not to adopt protocols for pressure sore prevention, failed to adequately rotate Purdie to prevent her from developing pressure sores, provide sufficient nutrition and skin assessments, and treat her pressure sores.

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Morley Sprague was 57  and suffering from end-stage multiple sclerosis and had a history of urinary tract infections (UTI) and degenerative joint disease.  After being hospitalized for treatment for sepsis and UTI, he was admitted to the North Canyon Care Center, a nursing home that offered wound care services.

Unfortunately, within a week, Sprague’s two existing pressure ulcers worsened from Stage I and II to Stage IV. In addition, he developed a Stage IV pressure sore on his right buttock.

After he left the nursing home, he required antibiotics and other continued medical care for his wounds, which failed to heal. Two years after his discharge, Sprague died of sepsis that resulted from an infected pressure ulcer. He was survived by his wife and three adult children.

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Barbara Carroll, 75, was admitted to a skilled nursing facility for rehabilitation after a surgery.  Within a week, she developed a significant pressure sore on her coccyx, which progressed to Stage IV despite her use of an air mattress. She died of sepsis a month after her admission to the skilled nursing facility and was survived by her three adult children.

One of her daughters filed a claim against Oak Rehabilitation Centers claiming that the owner was liable for choosing not to provide Carroll with a functioning air mattress. Without that air mattress, it was alleged that her pressure ulcer worsened.

Before a lawsuit was filed, the parties settled for $340,000. Continue reading

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Morley Sprague suffered from end-stage multiple sclerosis and had a history of urinary tract infection (UTI) and degenerative joint disease.

After a hospitalization for treatment of sepsis and a UTI, he was admitted to the North Canyon Care Center, a nursing home that offered wound care services. Within a week, his two existing pressure ulcers worsened from Stage I and II to Stage IV. Additionally, he developed a Stage IV pressure sore on his right buttock.

After he left the nursing home, he required antibiotic treatment and continued medical care for his open wounds, which did not heal. Two years after his discharge, Sprague died of sepsis resulting from an infected pressure ulcer.

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Martha Pierce, 83, suffered a stroke and became partially paralyzed and weak on her right side. She required additional assistance from her nursing facility, the Allenbrooke Nursing & Rehabilitation Center.  One of the nursing home’s staff members identified Stage IV pressure ulcers on Pierce’s right foot. Even in view of that serious condition, the ulcers were allowed to worsen and Pierce developed sepsis. As a result, she required an above-the-knee amputation of her right leg and died four months later.

Pierce’s estate and family sued the nursing home and several corporate entities, claiming negligence in violation of the state’s Nursing Home Protection Act. The jury entered a verdict of $30 million, which included $28 million in punitive damages.

The attorneys representing Martha Pierce’s family were Kenneth L. Connor, Carey Acerra and Cameron Jehl.

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On April 13, 2016, a release from the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP) stated that the term “pressure injury” replaces “pressure ulcer” in the NPUAP injury staging system. According to the report, a change in terminology more accurately describes pressure injuries to both intact and ulcerated skin. It was concluded that the previous staging system was confusing. A Stage I and Deep Tissue Injury described injured intact skin, while the other stages describe open wounds or ulcers.

In another change in terminology, the panel is now using Arabic numbers instead of Roman numerals in the names of stages.

A meeting of over 400 professionals was held in Chicago on April 8-9, 2016. Using what was called the consensus format, Dr. Mikel Gray of the University of Virginia guided the Staging Task Force.

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