Florida woman goes into hospital to have baby, leaves as a double amputee

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Specializes in Utilization Management.

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.

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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.

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

What happened to her signing a surgical permit I wonder.

That's what i want to know.

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Specializes in Utilization Management.

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.

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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.

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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.

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Specializes in LTC, Hospice, Case Management.

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

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
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.

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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.

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

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.

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Specializes in home & public health, med-surg, hospice.

I'm confused too! Did she have strep & needed the amputations (seems pretty extreme to me) somehow? Is this a matter of lack of informed consent or hey, it was performed on the wrong patient all together ..??? :confused: :confused: :confused:

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Again, I would want to know who gave surgical consent?

How the streptococcus was deemed transferred?

I would think some laws supersede HIPAA esp. in this case.....

It looks as if they have some $$$$$ to dish out...............

It also does not seem possible that "flesh eating bacteria" can spread that quickly in terms of a delivery and why wouldn't they discuss this with this patient after delivery. They could have brought her back from sedation to discuss this life altering procedure. Sounds like the doctor has some questions to answer. And I am not sure how this could have been a mistake, say if they had the wrong patient and did the amputee and they are trying to cover it up by saying she had streptococcus?

Does Streptococcus spread that easily and quickly? Anyone? HB

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