Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Los Angeles Times - November 2, 2004
Charles Ornstein, Times Staff Writer
The mother of a 28-year-old man who died at Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center has filed a claim against Los Angeles County, alleging that a nurse at the public hospital failed to watch over him and falsified his medical records.
Mario Nelson died Oct. 7 after an intensive-care nurse turned down the volume on his vital-signs monitor, then failed to notice his heart was barely beating, county health officials have said.
In their investigation, hospital officials discovered that Nelson's nurse noted in his chart that he was stable when he was already dead. The nurse, who was caring for one other patient, apparently made the note earlier in the day but indicated her observations were made at 6 p.m. The patient died about 5 p.m.
Nelson was ill with AIDS-related pneumonia, county health officials have said. His mother, Brenda, said she believes her son would be alive if the nurse had paid attention to his monitor.
"I'm trying to cope with it, but it's so hard," she said. "He had been in there two weeks. He was supposed to come home that Friday or Saturday. [His death] was the biggest shock to me ever."
Nelson's lawyer, Eugene "Chip" Matthews, said if his client won any money, she would set up a hotline for patients to report problems at the hospital.
"I feel that this nurse's actions are emblematic of a greater problem at King/Drew," he said.
Nelson said she doesn't want her son's death to harm the hospital. "One bad apple don't spoil the whole bunch," she said. "That hospital is a good hospital. It's just [the nurse's] negligence makes everybody look bad."
Under state law, the county has 45 days to respond to the family's claim before a lawsuit can be filed.
John Wallace, a spokesman for the county Department of Health Services, declined to comment on Nelson's claim.
Federal inspectors and a national accrediting group also are looking into Nelson's death.
Authorities have threatened to pull King/Drew's federal funding and its accreditation because of patient deaths, medication errors and the use of Taser stun guns on mental patients.
The county is paying a private consulting firm $13.2 million over the next year to assume day-to-day management at King/Drew and correct its problems. Navigant Consulting's first day was Monday.
041102
LT041102
Copyright © 2004 - Los Angeles Times. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Los Angeles Times, Permissions, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053. http://www.latimes.com.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2004. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2004. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .