Image Credit: Google Earth & Canva.
Article by Olivia Lupia, Tennessee Conservative News –
A Nashville woman is suing Ascension Saint Thomas for $150 million after a drug mix-up in August left several patients, including the plaintiff, who were receiving routine joint replacement surgeries at its Midtown hospital injured or paralyzed.
The hospital acknowledged a medication error in its pharmacy led to the patients receiving potassium phosphate injections instead of the regular anesthetic, which caused severe adverse reactions.
Through her son, Linda Gilbert, 78, filed the suit on November 6 in Davidson County Circuit Court, making it the first of any legal actions against the hospital group since the August incident.
According to the suit, which accuses Ascension of “institutional negligence and recklessness” and “medical battery”, Gilbert now suffers from a spinal cord injury that has left her a paraplegic and in need of ongoing rehabilitation and assistance.
The complaint says she experienced burning in her legs after receiving the injection, then developed serious breathing and heart problems which led to her being placed on a ventilator and later suffering severe weakness and loss of movement in her legs. She also alleges urinary problems and continued pain.
Further allegations say hospital staff failed to stop using syringes from the same batch after two earlier patients reported burning pain, claims failures in the pharmacy’s medication preparation and verification processes, and delays in Gilbert’s treatment.
Twenty-five grievances of failure by Ascension are listed in the suit, describing the hospital’s refusal to take her symptoms seriously, including proceeding to put her under general anesthesia for the surgery even after she told staff about the burning she was experiencing. After the operation as Gilbert’s condition deteriorated, the hospital supposedly waited more than 10 hours to perform a recognized treatment to wash the harmful substance from her spinal cord.
Additionally, failures by the hospital pharmacy which led to the mix-up, like storing products that looked alike next to each other and allowing employees to override the drug tracking program when the wrong medication was scanned, are included in the suit. These problems were also identified by state regulators who launched an investigation into the incident and were supposed to be rectified by the hospital.
Gilbert is seeking $50 million in compensatory damages and $100 million in punitive damages for a total of $150 million in recompense. The suit is also challenging Tennessee’s statutory limit on certain non-economic damages, like pain and suffering, and requests a jury trial.
Attorney Randy Kinnard who is representing Gilbert said, “The lawsuit contains serious allegations. I do not want to jeopardize any party’s receiving of a fair trial and therefore will not make any television appearances or make any public statements about the case.”
Sources:
WSMV.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
