Healthcare Safety Index June 2015

Here are patient safety issues that have appeared in the news and medical journals throughout the last 30 days or so:

An article published in the June 16, 2015 edition of JAMA concluded that antibiotic treatment of patients with uncomplicated appendicitis may be as effective as an appendectomy.

A study published online on PLOS One on June 10, 2015 concluded that proton pump inhibitor usage increases the risk of heart attacks.

U.S. News & World Report published its annual list of Best Children’s Hospitals.  Nationwide top finishers in their respective categories included: Cancer – Dana-Farber Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center;Cardiology & Heart Surgery – Boston Children’s Hospital; Diabetes & Endocrinology – Boston Children’s Hospital;Gastroenterology & GI Surgery –  Boston Children’s Hospital;  Neonatology - Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia;Nephrology - Boston Children’s Hospital; Neurology and Neurosurgery – Boston Children’s Hospital; Orthopedics – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Pulmonology – Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center; Urology – Boston Children’s Hospital.

Top finishers in proximity to New Jersey include:   Cancer – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (3); New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley-Komansky Children’s Hospital (17); Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (21); Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC (22); Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital (24); and Children’s

Confidential Settlement on Behalf of Bloomfield, New Jersey Woman Who Suffered From Pressure Sore While a Recovering From Spinal Surgery

The plaintiff underwent multi-level spinal surgery in June 2011. She was admitted to a rehabilitation hospital and after six weeks she was diagnosed with a pressure ulcer on her sacrum and bilateral pressure ulcers on her heels. She was then discharged from that facility to a long term care nursing home. The plaintiffs contended that a lack of continuity of care resulted in an exacerbation of the pressure sore, so that it went from a Stage II pressure sore to a Stage IV pressure sore.

The plaintiffs further alleged that the pressure sore developed because appropriate pressure relief measures were not undertaken at either healthcare facility. Additionally, there was evidence that the plaintiff was malnourished and this contributed to the development of the pressure sores and their inability to heal. After appropriate pressure relief measures were undertaken, supplemental nutrition was employed and the plaintiff underwent multiple debridement surgeries, her pressure sores eventually healed. Nevertheless, the skin breakdown resulted in a prolonged stay at the nursing facility and some measure of out-of-pocket expenses to the plaintiffs.

The case settled at a mediation hearing prior to the scheduling of a trial date.