[nursebedlam]

Nurse denies causing patient's death

posted: 05-19-2004

The attorney for a nurse accused of causing the death of an elderly, disabled nursing home resident said today she was only trying to help him.

Lorrie W. was arraigned in Caddo District Court and pleaded not guilty to charges of negligent homicide and cruelty to the infirm.

The Louisiana attorney general's office, which is prosecuting the case, said a 97-year-old resident at Irving Place Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Shreveport suffered and died last September after Washington inserted a urinary catheter.

Washington's attorney, Greg Kelley, disputes she was responsible for the man's death.

"I think the evidence is going to show she was the only person at that nursing home that was trying to do anything for (him)," Kelley said. "And I think once this case winds its way through (the court system), you'll find she did nothing wrong."

Washington is the fifth nursing home employee in Louisiana to be prosecuted by the state attorney general's office for alleged abuses and maltreatments that resulted in the deaths or injuries of nursing home patients.

Washington's attorney said she has been a nurse for 19 years. The nursing home said she no longer works there.

http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache...%3Dcaddo&hl=en

[HealinghandsRN]

I don't understand, the Nurse put a foley in and the patient died?

[lovelylpn]

I'd like to know how that happened myself? I've never heard of a foley insertion causing death.

[earle58]

without knowing the story, i would venture to say that this pt. was sick for awhile and her needs weren't met, which constitutes negligence. so now the facility is putting it on the nurse to take the heat off of those ultimately responsible. i'd love to know the full story.

[HealinghandsRN]

Originally Posted by earle58

without knowing the story, i would venture to say that this pt. was sick for awhile and her needs weren't met, which constitutes negligence. so now the facility is putting it on the nurse to take the heat off of those ultimately responsible. i'd love to know the full story.

I know what u mean.......Have u ever read the disciplinary actions taken upon nurses at the NJ dept of consumer affair site? Some of it really drives me nuts...because i can just see how easy some of the things can happen...for example one RN had her license suspended because she failed to notify the doctor of a patients lab results.....Now I know how important it is for a doc to get abnormal lab results...but the working conditions that most of us work in, I can easily see this happening....for a lot of reasons too. Maybe they were filed already, maybe the nurse didn't have a chance to even get to her paperwork because of patient care...etc...I am sure u can think of things too from your experience. I am guessing, The consequences of this situation, came back to the facility and in turn SOMEONE has to get BLAMED so who else is to blame but the "good ole bedside Nurse!" Unbelievable........ Thats why we need to STICK together and demand changes, refuse overload!

[Justavisitor]

Originally Posted by healinghandsRN

I don't understand, the Nurse put a foley in and the patient died?

The reason the resident died was of sepsis, caused by urethral trauma... which was caused by the LPN incorrectly inserting the Foley. The LPN knew she had incorrectly inserted the catheter, yet left it in the resident for 8 hours.

[cannoli]

Originally Posted by Justavisitor

The reason the resident died was of sepsis, caused by urethral trauma... which was caused by the LPN incorrectly inserting the Foley. The LPN knew she had incorrectly inserted the catheter, yet left it in the resident for 8 hours.

Please elaborate. HOW was it incorrectly inserted? Left in for 8 hours? Please share the rest of the story, this doesn't clarifty anything for me.

[devi2]

Originally Posted by Justavisitor

The reason the resident died was of sepsis, caused by urethral trauma... which was caused by the LPN incorrectly inserting the Foley. The LPN knew she had incorrectly inserted the catheter, yet left it in the resident for 8 hours.

Please elaborate on this. Do you know the whole story because we only received part of it.

[sweetumms72]

don't know now, if i'm still going to push through working in US, after reading all these news, legal issues concern....not that we don't care here....to think how a simple procedure can make your entire life change is really hard to accept. i just hope that everything will come out well. i for one knows that all nurses work with care but i guess being human isn't to be disregarded. we can still commit mistakes....

[payday]

Was the balloon inflated in the urethra instead of bladder????