Family Files Medical Malpractice Lawsuit
Posted by Administrator (admin) on May 21 2010 at 11:55 AM
Nursing Home Negligence >>

A deceased woman’s family is suing the Medical Center of Southeast Texas, Iasis Healthcare Corp. and Dr. Nabeel Abdullah, claiming that the woman died because doctors sent her home instead of allowing her to remain in an intensive care unit after heart surgery.

Henry Jones, Leonard Jones and Lisa Brown have filed a lawsuit on behalf of Janell Jones on May 7 in Jefferson County District Court.

According to the plaintiffs, their 57-year-old mother and wife, Janell Jones, visited the Medical Center on May 12, 2008, in order to treat chest pain and fainting.

Dr. Abdullah consulted with Janell Jones and noted her pain began in the afternoon with a sensation of pressure across her chest, the complaint states. Janell’s pulse and blood pressure were measured at 109 beats per minute and 151/104 respectively. She was shifted to telemetry with a presumptive diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome.

According to the lawsuit, doctors placed Janell Jones on bed rest in telemetry. Also, she was treated with 81 milligrams of aspirin per day, topical nitroglycerine, beta blockade, anxiolytic therapy, GERD therapy and supplemental oxygen, the complaint states.

Doctors performed a cardiac catheterization on Janell Jones on May 13, 2008. They inserted a stent into her left anterior descending artery and circumflex vessels after finding considerable obstructions during the procedure, according to the complaint. After the catheterization, doctors shifted Janell Jones to coronary care and added 75 milligrams of Plavix to her medications, the lawsuit states.

Janell Jones experienced recurrent chest pain after the procedure. So, the next day doctors performed an EKG that showed a heart rhythm with elevated rates of impulses otherwise known as sinus tachycardia, the complaint says.

Even with Jones’ chest pain and elevated heart rate, doctors transferred her out of the intensive care unit on May 14, 2008, and to her home on May 15, 2008, the lawsuit states.

Janell Jones returned to Dr. Abdullah's office on May 19, 2008, complaining of chest pain and shortness of breath. According to the complaint, Dr. Abdullah suggested Janell Jones to use sublingual nitro for her chest pain, to raise her Lopressor to 50 milligrams, to add the antianginal therapy Ranexa to her medication and to return to the emergency room if her chest pain persisted.

Janell Jones’ chest pain continued still and she returned to the emergency room on May 23, 2008. According to the lawsuit, then she had additional problems like nausea, lethargy, active vomiting and diaphoretic. The complaint states that it took 20 minutes for hospital workers to transfer Janell Jones from the car to the emergency room. Janell Jones collapsed in cardiac arrest by the time she arrived in the emergency room, the plaintiffs argue.

“Despite respiratory therapy with bag-valve-mask, intubation and CPR per ACLS protocol, the patient could not be resuscitated and was pronounced dead at 1433 hours on 05/23/08,” the lawsuit states. An autopsy revealed that the death was caused by atheroscierotic heart disease, according to the complaint.
 
The plaintiffs argue that the defendants negligently failed to provide the patient with right treatment for recurring ischemia. Janell Jones’ family is seeking a judgment within the jurisdictional limits of Jefferson County District Court, in addition to pre- and post-judgment interest, costs and other relief to which they may be entitled.

Judge Milton Shuffield, 136th District Court, will be presiding over the case.

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