Jaime Jackson Law recently settled a medical malpractice case against a hospital. The hospital failed to diagnose an infection which progressed to sepsis and ultimately resulted in death.
Abnormal vital signs
The patient presented to the ER with knee pain and shortness of breath. Her vital signs showed an elevated heart rate, low temperature, low blood pressure, and low respiratory rate. Combined, these can be signs of an infection and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS)—a precursor to sepsis.
The hospital should have carried out blood work
Based on these signs and symptoms, the hospital should have carried out blood work to find out what may have been causing the abnormal vital signs. The medical experts we retained to review the case were of the opinion that bloodwork should have been ordered. If bloodwork had been ordered, it would have revealed signs of potential infection. This would have led to the patient being given antibiotics and being admitted to hospital for observation. This would have saved her life and prevented her death. Instead, she was discharged with Tylenol and an ACE bandage wrap for her knee. There was no determination of what was causing her abnormal vital signs. She died of the infection that progressed to sepsis two days later.
Sepsis
Sepsis is a life-threatening infection in the body, and hospitals should have processes in place that trigger alerts for potential sepsis diagnosis and treatment.
Closure
This case was highly emotional for our client and his family and the litigation process, which ultimately achieved a settlement, brought them much needed closure.
If you or a loved one have been seriously injured, contact Jaime Jackson Law on 717-519-7254 or through our website.
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