Woman fell off operating table, hosptital apologizes

[Hum]

A Connecticut hospital facing a lawsuit by a woman who says she was severely injured when she fell off an operating table after surgery says it deeply regrets what happened and apologized to the patient.

Attorneys for 81-year-old Florence Fiedler of New Canaan filed the lawsuit Tuesday against Yale-New Haven Hospital.

The lawsuit says Fiedler had a pacemaker implanted in February 2010 and fell off the table after the surgery. Her attorneys say she suffered fractures of the hip and collarbone, a traumatic head injury that resulted in bleeding under her skull and other injuries.

The lawsuit alleges the hospital improperly left Fiedler unattended.

Rob Hutchison, spokesman for Yale-New Haven Hospital, says the hospital promptly reported the incident to the state Department of Public Health.

source

[DocM]

Not good, but still better than the surgery patients that had explosions in their lungs & airways or had the surgery suite explode around them due to the use of flammable anesthetic gases. One was cyclopropane, which fell out of favor after it took out an entire OR.

[Hum]

I thought they had guardrails or something to keep people on the table.

[Hell-In-A-Handbasket]

I thought they had guardrails or something to keep people on the table.

I don't think that's while on the operating table. In recovery yea there is.

No idea how she could have fell off the operating table though, usually people are put under when on those

[Memphis]

I don't think that's while on the operating table. In recovery yea there is.

No idea how she could have fell off the operating table though, usually people are put under when on those

States are doing away with Gaurd Rails, Floor mats, seat belts, tag alarms and the like.I worked in Washington when the BON was making these changes and let me tell you hip fractures went up dramatically.

[Hell-In-A-Handbasket]

States are doing away with Gaurd Rails, Floor mats, seat belts, tag alarms and the like.I worked in Washington when the BON was making these changes and let me tell you hip fractures went up dramatically.

i would think that they would understand stuff like that would make them more likely to be at fault and above all sue'd

[Dot Matrix]

When I had my surgery, I was on a small table no bigger than my body, any small amount of movement, and you can fall off of them quite easily. My guess is she awoke too soon, and freaked out.

[hard357]

Normally, when doing these types of exams we have our patients "secured" (they are strapped down to the table) because patients can react differently to the anesthesia given. I guess that hospital learned first hand of what can happen... plus why would you ever leave the patient unattended? Patient care 101 never leave the patient unattended especially if meds have been given.

[Memphis]

Normally, when doing these types of exams we have our patients "secured" (they are strapped down to the table) because patients can react differently to the anesthesia given. I guess that hospital learned first hand of what can happen... plus why would you ever leave the patient unattended? Patient care 101 never leave the patient unattended especially if meds have been given.

Absolutely, after surgery, and when the patient is not strapped down then a RN needs to be supervising at all times.

[Original Poster]

atleast her anesthesia did not wear off :'( *cries from flash back* wore off when they were half way through cutting my toe off