Belt and Watch Cot - Stretcher spill sparks lawsuit

[spenac]

So do you properly restrain and watch your patients? Apparently these guys didn't.

http://www.edmontonsun.com/Business/WhosSu...277701-sun.html

Stretcher spill sparks lawsuit

By TONY BLAIS

An Edmonton woman has launched a $125,000 lawsuit against a paramedic, an emergency medical technician (EMT), the City of Edmonton and Capital Health after alleging she was severely injured when she fell off a stretcher at the Royal Alexandra Hospital.

In a statement of claim filed June 26, Bertha Shailer alleges she called 911 on July 3, 2006 to request an ambulance as she was suffering from nausea, vomiting, numbness in her extremities and respiratory distress.

She also allegedly displayed signs of mental confusion.

Shailer alleges paramedic Adrian Panylyk and EMT Roy Serrao transported her in an ambulance to the Royal Alexandra Hospital, arriving about midnight.

She then claims that while waiting unattended for treatment in the hospital's emergency department, she fell onto the floor from the stretcher she was seated on.

According to the statement of claim, Shailer suffered severe injuries to her head, neck, right shoulder and right arm and continues to suffer from pain and loss of motion.

The lawsuit alleges the defendants failed to take a proper and careful history of Shailer from time to time and failed to recognize the nature of her condition and the risk of her falling from the stretcher she was seated on.

[akroeze]

Unfortunately it doesn't specify which stretcher she was on (EMS or ER).

[Kaisu]

Hyperventilating frequent flier falls off cot. I can't overemphasize how careful we have to be with these patients. They are looking for a reason to sue. When it's the 100th time you pick up the same N & V BS artist it becomes very easy to fall into this trap. Be careful out there.

[Richard B the EMT]

FDNY, City, and State policies say any patient on a stretcher is to be secured to said device by a minimum of 3 seat belts, or similar devices.

The statement was that the patient was "seated" on the stretcher. Was this with her legs over the sides? By the standards I follow, that's a No No, as it upsets the already unsteady balance of the device; indeed, most manufacturers still recommend the stretcher, while loaded, only be moved in the lowered position.

While the regs I follow also indicate never to leave the stretcher alone with a patient on it, my personal practice is to always have one hand or foot on the device: anything starts to happen, you'll feel it, and hopefully can do something to stop whatever is going on (with no injury to self, partner and patient, in that order).

[CBEMT]

Not enough details.

[Christopher.Collins]

I agree that there isn't a lot of info given. I've experience a similar instance while loading a stretcher, however we did everything in the right (pt properly secured including the now required shoulder straps). The pt was extremely combative and while we got him to co-operate and go with us decided to fight us while loading, the safety catch didn't catch and the stretcher fell out while raising the legs and collapsed to the ground. He was properly secured and at the moment before we loaded co-operative, just decided to fight at the wrong time. He threatened to sue and that daddy was a lawyer... well daddy believed the 1/2 dozen firefighters, 2 EMS personnel and 4 cops on scene. Daddy was also more pi$$ed that his brand new Mustang GT was rolled over in the street by his under-aged drunken son.

Cover your @$$es guys... I was up to my waist in paperwork from this incident, but using proper procedures, documentation and having plenty of witnesses saved us on that one. I know it may seem like common sense, and I know its sometimes easier to write and do less... but think of the trouble you could see for not doing it. I don't know how many run reports I've read where the narratives were simple as "picked up pt w/diff breathing, applied O2, tx to hospital w/no change." I'm sure you've all seen reports like that too. It shouldn't matter how simple the call, every report should be written like its going to court, the same for incident reports. And is it really worth saccrificing your home or other possesions of value because you couldn't stand next to a stretcher, or buckle a seatbelt?

[emTpromises]

Ditto... not enough information. "Seated" makes it sound like she was on a Ferno. I believe the lawsuit implies that she was on the medics' gurney, not the hospital's.

Other than ALWAYS having one person with the patient, my partner and I lower the gurney if the patient is combative, hyperventilating, "writhing" in pain or any other such drama.