Becker's Hospital Review

Becker's Hospital Review March 2016

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60 CARE DELIVERY Legionnaires Victims Sue McLaren Hospital Amid Flint Water Crisis By Shannon Barnet F our individuals affected by the Legionnaires' disease out- break in Flint, Mich., have filed a suit against McLaren Flint hospital and six state workers, arguing the illness could be attributed to the water crisis, according to an NBC News report. The city switched its water supply from Detroit to the Flint River in 2014 to save money while building a more cost-effective re- gional water system to bring in water from Lake Huron. Conse- quently, the switch exposed local residents to lead poisoning, E. coli bacteria and toxic chemical byproducts. State officials are still looking into whether the switch in water supply can be blamed for the Legionnaires' disease outbreak in 2014 and 2015, according to the NBC report. During the outbreak, roughly 87 cases of Legionnaires' dis- ease were reported locally, and more than a dozen of the cases were treated at McLaren Flint. Eleven of those patients died, in- cluding the mother of one of the four people suing the hospital and state workers. The lawsuit alleges that failing to treat the riv- er water with anti-corrosion agents violated federal regulations. "A hospital won't make money if it discloses a Legionnaires' outbreak from contaminated water, and a governor will stop hearing whispers that he's being considered for higher office if he reveals a water and Legionnaires' crisis," lawyer Geoffrey Fieger said in a statement cited by NBC. While the lawsuit only mentions damages above $25,000, Mr. Fieger told NBC his is seeking $100 million for his four clients. At the time of publication, McLaren Flint had not responded to a request for comment. n Fourth UPMC Patient With Mold Infection Dies By Heather Punke C he DuVall, who contracted a fungal infection aer undergoing a double lung transplant at Pittsburgh-based UPMC Presbyterian, died Saturday, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Mr. DuVall and his wife had sued UPMC Pres- byterian for negligence in January, claiming his infection was linked to a mold outbreak at the hospital. Aer undergoing his transplant in August, he was diagnosed with a fungal infection Sept. 3, right before the hospital dis- covered the mold and closed its cardiothoracic intensive care unit. All total, four transplant patients at UPMC suffered fungal infections, and they are all now deceased. e Allegheny County Medical Examiner list- ed Mr. DuVall's cause of death as multi-organ system failure due to sepsis, and the manner of death was listed as natural, according to the Post-Gazette. ere will be no autopsy. UPMC released a statement to the Post-Ga- zette, reading, "It is with great sadness that we confirm the passing of Mr. DuVall and we extend our deepest sympathies to his family as well as to our doctors and nurses who have worked with great compassion and skill to care for him. We again want to reassure our patients that we have taken every possible precaution to make our hospitals as safe as humanly possible, and have followed all recommendations made by federal and state regulators." Mr. DuVall's lawyer told the Post-Gazette the lawsuit would be amended. n Top 10 Sentinel Events in 2015 By Heather Punke I n 2015, the Joint Commission reviewed 936 sentinel events that occurred in hospitals, ambulatory care settings and other care locations, up dramatically from the 764 events it reviewed in 2014. The following are the top 10 sentinel events that occurred in 2015, according to the Joint Commission's most recent sentinel event data summary: 1. Unintended retention of a foreign body — 116 2. Wrong-patient, wrong-site, wrong-proce- dure — 111 3. Fall — 95 4. Suicide — 95 5. Dialysis-related event — 76 6. Operative/post-operative complication — 76 7. Other unanticipated event (including as- phyxiation, burn, choked on food, drowned or found unresponsive) — 56 8. Unassigned — 54 9. Delay in treatment — 46 10. Perinatal death/injury — 42 In 2014, the most common sentinel event was also unintended retention of a foreign body, followed by fall and suicide. n

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