Settlement of a Wrongful Death Case Arising Out of Nursing Home Resident's Death From Untreated Urinary Tract Infection
M.M. was a resident at a St. Charles, Missouri nursing home. The facility was aware that M.M. was susceptible to developing urinary tract infections. In fact, several times during the course of her residency at the facility, M.M. exhibited signs and symptoms of urinary tract infections that went unnoticed, unheeded, and unreported by the nursing home staff. The facility also failed to report abnormal laboratory results, including abnormal urinalysis labs, to her physician.
On November 6, M.M. once again exhibited signs and symptoms of a urinary tract infection. The information was provided to a physician on the same day and the physician ordered a urinalysis with an additional culture and sensitivity test to be performed. The following day, documentation in M.M.'s chart reflected only that the urinalysis test was pending. No one at the facility actually confirmed that the physician's order had been carried out. In fact, no one at the facility checked on the pending urinalysis test until 3:00 p.m. on November 10 - four days after the urinalysis was ordered. During that phone call, facility employees learned that the facility had never even provided the lab with M.M.'s urine specimen.
The Director of Nursing was notified of this failure and ordered that a urine specimen be taken that very night from M.M. and provided to the laboratory. No one contacted M.M.'s physician to advise him that his order had not been carried out. Despite the Director of Nursing's directive that the urine specimen be obtained on November 10, it was not done and the Director of Nursing failed to follow up on her directive. Finally, at 3:00 p.m. on November 11, a facility employee obtained a urine sample from M.M. and provided it to the laboratory. Because of the substantial delay in obtaining the original urine sample, a second sample had to be obtained via catheter, which was provided to the laboratory at 3:00 a.m. on November 12.
On November 12, defendants received the results of the urinalysis identifying that M.M. suffered from a severe urinary tract infection as a result of the Escerichia Coli (E-Coli) bacteria. From the date of the original order to the date that the facility learned of this infection, M.M. received absolutely no medication for her infection. M.M. died on November 19 of a urinary tract infection.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services investigated the events surrounding M.M.'s death and determined that the facility violated several regulations. The facility was cited accordingly.
M.M.'s daughters filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of their father and other surviving children. During the course of the lawsuit, it was learned that the facility had inexcusably delayed in sending M.M.'s physician numerous abnormal laboratory reports. Moreover, one witness came forward and admitted that the Administrator and Director of Nursing had engaged in covering up events at the facility.
The parties entered into a confidential settlement shortly before trial. The daughters, Kathy and Jackie, can be seen here discussing their mother and her experience at this facility.
Return to Terry Law Firm's Recent Results.
On November 6, M.M. once again exhibited signs and symptoms of a urinary tract infection. The information was provided to a physician on the same day and the physician ordered a urinalysis with an additional culture and sensitivity test to be performed. The following day, documentation in M.M.'s chart reflected only that the urinalysis test was pending. No one at the facility actually confirmed that the physician's order had been carried out. In fact, no one at the facility checked on the pending urinalysis test until 3:00 p.m. on November 10 - four days after the urinalysis was ordered. During that phone call, facility employees learned that the facility had never even provided the lab with M.M.'s urine specimen.
The Director of Nursing was notified of this failure and ordered that a urine specimen be taken that very night from M.M. and provided to the laboratory. No one contacted M.M.'s physician to advise him that his order had not been carried out. Despite the Director of Nursing's directive that the urine specimen be obtained on November 10, it was not done and the Director of Nursing failed to follow up on her directive. Finally, at 3:00 p.m. on November 11, a facility employee obtained a urine sample from M.M. and provided it to the laboratory. Because of the substantial delay in obtaining the original urine sample, a second sample had to be obtained via catheter, which was provided to the laboratory at 3:00 a.m. on November 12.
On November 12, defendants received the results of the urinalysis identifying that M.M. suffered from a severe urinary tract infection as a result of the Escerichia Coli (E-Coli) bacteria. From the date of the original order to the date that the facility learned of this infection, M.M. received absolutely no medication for her infection. M.M. died on November 19 of a urinary tract infection.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services investigated the events surrounding M.M.'s death and determined that the facility violated several regulations. The facility was cited accordingly.
M.M.'s daughters filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of their father and other surviving children. During the course of the lawsuit, it was learned that the facility had inexcusably delayed in sending M.M.'s physician numerous abnormal laboratory reports. Moreover, one witness came forward and admitted that the Administrator and Director of Nursing had engaged in covering up events at the facility.
The parties entered into a confidential settlement shortly before trial. The daughters, Kathy and Jackie, can be seen here discussing their mother and her experience at this facility.
Return to Terry Law Firm's Recent Results.
