Key Takeaways:
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Antibiotic Risk Management: Administering broad-spectrum antibiotics to elderly rehabilitation patients mandates close monitoring for known complications like Clostridium difficile.
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Ignored Infection Indicators: Dismissing loose stools and a highly elevated white blood cell count in a vulnerable resident constitutes a severe breach of clinical duty.
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Delayed Emergency Transfer: Failing to timely transport a deteriorating patient to an emergency department can turn an easily treatable infection into a fatal event.
Case Study: Nursing Home Neglect and Fatal C. Diff. Infection
In this case, our client was admitted to a nursing home for rehabilitation following a hip fracture and surgery. On admission to the nursing home, she was prescribed a broad-spectrum antibiotic which was widely recognized as significantly increasing her risk of a clostridium difficile (C. Diff.) infection.
During the course of her short nursing home stay, our client developed obvious signs of a C. Diff. infection, including loose stools and a significantly elevated white blood cell count. Despite the obvious signs of significant infection, the physician, nurse practitioner and nursing home staff failed to transport our client to the hospital for necessary, emergency treatment. When our client was finally transported to the hospital at the insistence of her 90 year-old husband, it was too late and she died in the Emergency Department of the hospital.
Our elders deserve appropriate medical and nursing home care, and our client did not deserve to have his beloved wife stolen from him by a C.Diff infection, which is a completely and easily preventable complication of a routine surgery. Had anyone at the nursing home, including the doctor and his nurse practitioner, paid any attention to her signs and symptoms, this wonderful woman would not have died.
Our Central Florida Legal Team Fights Nursing Home Abuse and Medical Neglect
Vulnerable rehabilitation residents rely entirely on staff alerts, nurse practitioner assessments, and physician responsiveness to survive post-surgical complications. When clear symptoms of an aggressive intestinal infection are entirely overlooked or ignored by care facilities, the consequences are frequently catastrophic and meet the standard for medical negligence.
If you or a member of your family has suffered due to a suspected failure to recognize C. Diff. or severe neglect inside an Orange County care facility, you have the right to hold the responsible parties accountable. Contact the experienced trial attorneys at Warner & Warner today at 321-972-1889 or read through our other medical malpractice case studies to explore your family’s legal options during a free, confidential consultation.