Woman Didn’t Know She Was Pregnant, Gives Birth — Now Hospital Is Sued

Robin Lumley, childless, overweight and unmarried at 46, arrived at an emergency room 2 1/2 years ago complaining of terrible abdominal pain. Nurses documented her symptoms and a doctor ordered tests. When Lumley said she needed to use the restroom, they let her go. A short while later, the medical staff at University Community Hospital in Carrollwood found that she had delivered a 6-pound baby girl into the toilet. Lumley didn’t even know she was pregnant, an attorney says. But Harold “Tripp” Sebring III claims the medical staff should have. Because it missed obvious signs of labor, he says, Lumley’s baby almost drowned. Sebring sued the hospital last month for medical malpractice, contending that baby Brianna Rose Lumley went into respiratory arrest and suffered brain damage due to treatment providers’ negligence. He wants the hospital to pay for Brianna’s lifelong medical care. Sebring is suing on the child’s behalf, not the mother’s. If he succeeds, Robin Lumley won’t get a dime. “I’m pretty upset with the mother,” he said. But more so, he’s “pretty upset with the nurses and the hospital. It is a very basic component of care.”

Please click on the link below to read the complete Sun Sentinel article:

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-1007-tampa-birth,0,3853158.story

The Citron Law Firm, P.A. (www.citronlegal.com) is a civil trial practice law firm that specializes in professional liability and injury cases, commercial and real estate litigation and family law matters.  The Citron Law Firm is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at 707 S.E. Third Avenue, Sixth Floor – (954) 712-1686.

Emergency Room Patients Often Left Confused After Visits

A vast majority of emergency room patients are discharged without understanding the treatment they received or how to care for themselves once they get home, researchers say. And that can lead to medication errors and serious complications that can send them right back to the hospital. In a new study, researchers followed 140 English-speaking patients discharged from emergency departments in two Michigan hospitals and measured their understanding in four areas — their diagnosis, their E.R. treatment, instructions for their at-home care and warning signs of when to return to the hospital. The study, published online in July by the Annals of Emergency Medicine, found that 78 percent of patients did not understand at least one area and about half did not understand two or more areas. The greatest confusion surrounded home care — instructions about things like medications, rest, wound care and when to have a follow-up visit with a doctor. “We’re finding that people are just not prepared for self-care, and that’s what is bringing them back,” said Dr. Eric Coleman, director of the Care Transitions Program at the University of Colorado, who was not involved in the study.

Please click on the link below to read the complete New York Times article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/16/health/16emer.html?_r=1&ref=health&oref=slogin

The Citron Law Firm, P.A. (www.citronlegal.com) is a civil trial practice law firm that specializes in professional liability and injury cases, commercial and real estate litigation and family law matters.  The Citron Law Firm is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at 707 S.E. Third Avenue, Sixth Floor – (954) 712-1686.