DOREEN`S STORY

DOREEN’S STORY
A real case demonstrating
the unfairness of damage caps.
Doreen’s Story
Doreen was a spry 78-year-old retired registered nurse. She lived independently on the same street
as her family, and spent her days caring for her adult children and grandchildren. Doreen was also
active in the community, assisting neighbors who were younger than she was. In order to continue
her active lifestyle, Doreen accepted her physician’s advice to undergo a knee replacement at the
hospital where she had worked for many years. The surgery was successful. Regrettably, the patient
died 13 days later due to a completely preventable medication error.
Doreen was a 78-year-old retired registered nurse who was full of life. She lived independently
on the same street as her family, and spent her days nurturing her adult children and grandchildren, and
assisting neighbors. Due to ongoing knee discomfort, Doreen sought treatment from an orthopedic surgeon who recommended that she undergo a knee replacement. Because she wanted to continue her
active lifestyle, Doreen consented to the procedure and she placed her trust in the hospital where she
worked as a nurse for many years.
On June 1, 2001, Doreen’s surgery was performed under general anesthesia. The procedure was
completed without incident and Doreen’s family was told that she could expect a full recovery. Postoperatively, the surgeon wrote orders for post-operative pain relief medications, which included
Morphine, Vistaril and Vicodin.
During the late afternoon on the day of surgery, Doreen was noted to be alert and oriented
times 3. Nonetheless, while making rounds early the next morning, the surgeon discovered Doreen to
be unresponsive with a blood pressure of 78/43 (normal 120/80) and an oxygen saturation level of
78% (98-100% considered normal). It was immediately discovered that Doreen had been over-medicated, and Narcan was administered. Unfortunately, her period of unresponsiveness led to multiple
respiratory complications, which led to her death 13 days later. During that time, Doreen was intubated, but could squeeze her daughter’s hand and communicate with her eyes. Her family was devastated
watching Doreen’s decline and they were tormented by the knowledge that Doreen had previously told
them that she did not want to be kept alive by a ventilator.
During discovery, it was learned that the nurse who administered the medication that led to the
unresponsive state was possibly impaired. During her deposition, the nurse asserted her Fifth
Amendment right not to incriminate herself in response to questions about drug and alcohol addiction.
Her license as a registered nurse was ultimately suspended.
Doreen died because the nurse who was supposed to be monitoring and caring for her administered medications in a manner that is widely recognized as being contraindicated. Because of her neglectful action, Doreen’s life was needlessly squandered and her family is left with heartbreaking memories of her last days. Capping awards in cases such as Doreen’s would reward hospitals for their failure to screen and train their staff. Is that just?
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Doreen was an active mother and grandmother, who loved spending
time caring for her family and neighbors. Doreen’s successful knee
surgery turned tragic when her post-surgery nurse administered too
much medication, resulting in her death 13 days later.
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