Just Imagine the Pain and Suffering This Nursing Home Patient Experienced as She Choked to Death

The Kentucky Attorney General’s office is reviewing the death of a Carlisle Nursing Home resident who was left alone for 15 to 20 minutes after a nurse found her choking on food. The nursing home resident, who was just admitted 10 days prior to the incident, was placed on a pureed diet. Pureed foods have the consistency of stage one or stage two baby food. The nursing home patient indicated on the admission paperwork that she wanted all necessary measures to be taken in the event of an emergency. However, after a nursing home staff member fed her dinner, a licensed practical nurse (LPN) heard the resident “gurgling” from the hallway. The nurse went into the patient’s room to ask if she was able to clear her throat and the resident, unable to speak because she was choking, shook her head “no”. The nurse left the room without helping the nursing home patient that was choking and gasping for air.

After it took the nurse approximately 15 to 20 minutes to clean a dirty suction machine, she returned to the choking woman’s room to suction her. Mind you, there was a clean “crash cart” available, with clean resuscitative equipment on the unit at the time, to be used right away. By the time the LPN returned to suction the patient, it “provided no relief to the resident’s choking.” It was at that time that the Registered Nurse entered the room, with other staff members, and said, “I think she is gone.”

The nursing home resident was not “gone.” She still had a pulse. CPR was finally administered and the nursing home resident was transported to a local hospital. She was pronounced dead. The cause of death was aspiration pneumonia.

Elders, nursing home patients or stroke victims can, and will choke on food or secretions in the absence of any medical negligence. But, once it is noticed that they are choking or in distress, they need help right away, not 15 or 20 minutes later. Our experienced lawyers, doctors, and nurses here at the Beasley nursing home negligence law firm have over 53 years of legal knowledge and 60 years of real working medical knowledge that has made us a leader in the field of medical malpractice. To date, we have had billions awarded on behalf of our injured clients. If a loved one has suffered due to neglect or abuse in a nursing home or assisted living facility please feel free to contact us to speak to one of our experienced nursing home Philadelphia, PA litigation attorneys for a risk free, no fee, and confidential consultation. Our experienced legal and medical nursing home teams are here to help you.