[Angie O'Plasty, RN]

How tragic! How frightening! This could happen to ANY of our patients! The rest of the story here:

http://www.wftv.com/news/6253589/detail.html







Woman Becomes Quadruple Amputee After Giving Birth


POSTED: 5:59 pm EST January 19, 2006
UPDATED: 4:06 pm EST January 20, 2006

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A Sanford mother says she will never be able to hold her newborn because an Orlando hospital performed a life-altering surgery and, she claims, the hospital refuses to explain why they left her as a multiple amputee.

The woman filed a complaint against Orlando Regional Healthcare Systems, she said, because they won't tell her exactly what happened. The hospital maintains the woman wants to know information that would violate other patients' rights.

Claudia Mejia gave birth eight and a half months ago at Orlando Regional South Seminole. She was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center in Orlando where her arms and legs were amputated. She was told she had streptococcus, a flesh eating bacteria, and toxic shock syndrome, but no further explanation was given.

The hospital, in a letter, wrote that if she wanted to find out exactly what happened, she would have to sue them.


"I want to know what happened. I went to deliver my baby and I came out like this," Mejia said.

Mejia said after she gave birth to Mathew last spring, she was kept in the hospital with complications. Twelve days after giving birth at Orlando Regional South Seminole hospital, she was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center where she became a quadruple amputee. Now she can not care for or hold her baby.

[goody1shoe]

Originally Posted by Angie O'Plasty, RN

How tragic! How frightening! This could happen to ANY of our patients!
Mejia said after she gave birth to Mathew last spring, she was kept in the hospital with complications. Twelve days after giving birth at Orlando Regional South Seminole hospital, she was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center where she became a quadruple amputee. Now she can not care for or hold her baby.

How horrible, I would love to know what comes out of this in terms of what really happened. What happened to her signing a surgical permit I wonder. Very perplexing! Thanks for sharing.

[Marie_LPN, RN]

What happened to her signing a surgical permit I wonder.

That's what i want to know.

[Angie O'Plasty, RN]

And I don't know how it happened, but the thread title is incorrect: the woman is actually a QUADRUPLE amputee, not a double amputee.

Just wanted to let you know that I didn't make that one, one of the news services did.

[scrmblr]

I'm confused. The hospital is saying that another pt on the floor had strep and she was infected? Are they saying that a hospital employee "gave" her strep and if they told her that it would be violating hippa?

Something is missing here.

[rpv_rn]

The woman filed a complaint against Orlando Regional Healthcare Systems, she said, because they won't tell her exactly what happened. The hospital maintains the woman wants to know information that would violate other patients' rights.



The hospital, in a letter, wrote that if she wanted to find out exactly what happened, she would have to sue them.


What about her patient’s right to know? Something is missing in this article. This bizarre article provokes a lot of questions.

[Nascar nurse]

This is horrible, but there has to be more to this story then what this article states. Just doesn't make sense.

[Ruby Vee]

Originally Posted by Marie_LPN

That's what i want to know.

If she had the flesh eating bacteria, time would be of the essense. If her mental status was compromised and there was no one available to sign consent for her, would the hospital not have the right to perform life saving surgery? In this case, life saving surgery might well be amputating the affected limb(s). A co worker of mine just lost her brother-in-law to this. He thought he pulled his hamstring -- was limping during his AM golf game, was febrile and chilling in the afternoon, and dead by evening. The man was 32.

[goody1shoe]

Originally Posted by Nascar nurse

This is horrible, but there has to be more to this story then what this article states. Just doesn't make sense.

What a challenge for the ethics committee. I smell something very rotten! and this is sooooooo sad.

[Marie_LPN, RN]

I don't think all of that would have happened in a matter of minutes (twelve days after giving birth, according to the article) which is why something isn't right here.