Texas Family Alleges Failure To Diagnose Caused Man’s Death

On behalf of Hastings Law Firm P.C. posted in Failure to Diagnose on Tuesday, March 4, 2014.

After a man died in a Texas emergency room last year, his family apparently suspected that something surrounding his death wasn’t quite right. Those suspicions were confirmed when a unit coordinator who had worked the night of the man’s death came forward with what she claims is the true account of what had happened. Supposedly, failure to diagnose the Texas man’s constipation ultimately led to his death.

Earlier last year, the 57-year-old father and husband was taken to the Denton Regional Hospital emergency room for severe abdominal pain. Apparently those working in the emergency room did not believe that his symptoms were too serious, so they placed him in the less serious area of the ER. He was also administered six morphine doses.

The Texas man was ultimately suffering from extreme constipation, a condition that is exacerbated by morphine. Within hours, the man died, and an autopsy confirmed that a blockage from his constipation was the cause. The medical examiner confirmed that the morphine shouldn’t have been issued, and he also believes that the missed diagnosis concerning the man’s constipation constitutes medical neglect.

The ER unit coordinator claims that she was fired for reporting the supposed neglect and the apparent attempted cover-up following the incident, so she went and spoke directly with the family instead. Since then, the nurse who administered the morphine has come under fire from The Texas Board of Nursing. While this Texas family has filed numerous complaints for what they say was the hospital’s failure to diagnose their husband and father’s constipation that ultimately led to his death, they may still choose to pursue a medical malpractice lawsuit. While any potential financial recourse might help with any lingering medical bills from that fateful trip to the emergency room, it can also help provide a sense of justice for their lost loved one.

Source: myfoxdfw.com, Becky Oliver, Feb. 24, 2014