Medical Malpractice: Waiting In E.R. Can Be Deadly

Randy Walton

Contributor

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When 33-year-old Christopher Jones experienced pain in his chest and left arm he did what most people would do, he went to the hospital. When arrived at the Emergency Department he was told to wait until it was his turn.

Mr. Jones waited and waited, for more than three hours, the he stepped outside and collapsed on the pavement. A few minutes later he was dead. Is this a wrongful death?

According to the L.A. Times, the county's Department of Health Services has launched its own investigation into Jones' death and placed on administrative leave the nurse who initially assessed him, county officials said.

County coroner's officials said they need to conduct more tests before determining the cause of death. The county health department declined to comment, citing patient confidentiality, but other county officials confirmed the details of the case to The Times.

Medical records reviewed by The Times show the Olive View triage nurse never wrote down basic details about Jones' complaints, including the location of his chest pain or how bad it was. Those symptoms are key to determining how the hospital should respond.

It's too early to tell if the hospital will be liable for the death, but the indications are it failed to follow normal protocols for people who are complaint of chest pain. The American College of Cardiology strongly advises hospitals to perform an EKG within 10 minutes of a patient's arrival at an emergency department if there are complaints of chest pain. According to reports, that was not done here.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Medical Malpractice and Negligent Care.