Articles Posted in Hospitalist Negligence

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Michael Davis consulted a nurse practitioner at CHI St. Alexius Health Williston when he experienced flu-like symptoms. A blood test showed an elevated white blood cell count. Eight months later, he returned to the nurse practitioner, complaining of frothy urine. Blood testing showed again an elevated white cell count and protein or blood in his urine.

The nurse practitioner referred Davis to a urologist. The urologist was alleged to have found no urological explanation for the abnormal test results.

About six months later, the follow-up appointment with the nurse practitioner and testing showed that the level of blood and protein in Davis’s urine had tripled. A urologist again allegedly determined there was no urological explanation for those results.
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At 37 weeks gestation, Jomayra Rodriguez, 31, was admitted to Yale New Haven Hospital. Rodriguez, whose baby had abdominal ascites in his stomach, was then induced. Abdominal ascites is a condition in which fluid collects in spaces within the abdomen. As fluid collects, it can affect a patient’s lungs, kidneys and other organs. Ascites can cause abdominal pain, swelling, nausea, vomiting and often other physical ailments.

Rodriguez’s labor continued for three days but did not progress. Although she was scheduled for a cesarean section, the induction process was first restarted. Her baby suffered shoulder dystocia and then abdominal dystocia. Unfortunately, the baby died in Rodriguez’s uterus.

Rodriguez, individually and on behalf of her son, sued Yale University alleging wrongful death and mismanagement of the delivery. The Rodriguez family asserted that the defendant hospital should have performed a timely cesarean section considering the size of the baby, which exceeded the 90th percentile, or a timely abdominal paracentesis. Abdominal paracentesis is usually a simple bedside procedure in which a needle is inserted into the peritoneal cavity to remove the ascitic fluid.
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Edward Peers was eating dinner with his family when he felt a jolt of pain in his back and radiating chest pain. He was taken to Doylestown Hospital where he was examined by an emergency department physician who ordered two EKGs.

The test results were not concerning for acute coronary syndrome, and a chest x-ray did not reveal any acute findings. Nevertheless, while at the emergency department, Peers experienced shortness of breath, nausea and bradycardia.

The emergency department doctor allegedly diagnosed nonspecific chest pain and heat exhaustion. The doctor ordered that Peers be discharged after receiving IV hydration.
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Angie Muhammad had been receiving treatment at Northwestern Memorial Hospital since December 2003. She was hospitalized four times between January and May 2005 with psychotic symptoms.

In May 2005, she was prescribed Depakote as a mood stabilizer.

She became pregnant. After being advised by her physician, she discontinued using Depakote in October 2005. However, between May and October 2005 she received increasingly large doses of Depakote. Her child, C.M., was born with severe spina bifida, a known potential side effect from exposure to Depakote in utero.
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Janice Ferguson-Jean, 36, was seen at the Kings County Hospital Center emergency room. After being treated there for elevated blood pressure, she was discharged and instructed to follow up at a clinic.

The following week, she was rushed back to the hospital and admitted for treatment of elevated blood pressure. After being treated for eight days, Ferguson-Jean died. She had been studying to become a teacher in the United States Virgin Islands and was survived by her husband and 12-year-old daughter.

The Ferguson-Jean family sued the hospital’s owner and operator, alleging that it chose not to diagnose and treat ischemic heart disease, which was a cause of her death. The defendant denied liability and responsibility.
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Ms. Doe, 48, was admitted to a hospital where blood work showed several severe abnormalities. Nonetheless, Dr. Roe, the hospitalist overseeing Ms. Doe’s care, discharged her. Ms. Doe’s condition worsened, and she returned to the hospital. She was diagnosed with leukemia and was then transferred to another hospital, where she was diagnosed with lymphoma.

Ms. Doe died two weeks after she first presented to the hospital. She was survived by her husband and five children.

The lawsuit against the hospitalist and others alleged medical negligence and wrongful death. The Doe family claimed that the hospitalist should not have discharged Ms. Doe in light of her abnormal blood work. It was also alleged that the defendant chose not to provide the correct diagnosis of lymphoma. Lymphoma was the cause of death listed on Ms. Doe’s death certificate.
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