In October 2010, a 33-year-old woman with type 1 diabetes presented to a medical center in Cook County, Illinois, with shortness of breath. She was diagnosed with excessive fluid around her lungs, for which she received treatment. When her pain persisted, she was placed on hydromorphone. A long-acting form of insulin was also prescribed.
Two days later, the woman experienced respiratory arrest—presumed to be a reaction to the medication. She was resuscitated and remained in the ICU. Although she was not eating food by mouth, no order for a diet change was received or documented. She continued to be administered insulin and went into a diabetic coma, dying about a week after admission.
The plaintiff claimed that the internal medicine physician employed by the hospital failed to review the decedent’s medical chart and discuss the decedent’s risk for low blood sugar levels with the attending physician. The defendants argued that the decedent was receiving regular dialysis due to end-stage renal failure and had a short life expectancy.
What was the outcome? >>