Case Study
Merit Review
Bellwether
ICU cases are among the most difficult to screen and I’m so glad we were trusted to screen this case!
A woman died at the hospital. She had severe sepsis and comorbidities, but the family member believed an error in inserting a central line caused her death. The death certificate and autopsy report were consistent, documenting sepsis as cause of death. The central line insertion did cause tissue damage and bruising, but the vessel was not compromised.
Our client’s instinct was that the case wasn’t going to go anywhere but, having a heart of gold, he was willing to pay for an evaluation to give the grieving family the comfort that someone cared enough to thoroughly investigate her death. So, we cracked open the medical records and WOW.
This woman may not have died if these items were addressed.
Medical record review revealed:
- She had an unusual medical condition not documented in her history but evident by her home medication list that was not considered during her treatment.
- She was being given a medication at the hospital known to worsen hypotension at the same time she had low blood due to septic shock.
- She was in fluid overload for many days and her labs and ABGs were not being monitored at correct intervals.
At Aperio, we understand that attorneys sincerely want to give grieving families and injured people who call their office the right answers. At the same time, it is difficult to shoulder exorbitant costs on cases that have no merit. We help our partner law firms screen cases and provide quality, affordable work products based on the merit and complexity of the assignment.
