Update on Mom

August 7, 2006, my 60 year old mother had to be life flighted because of a brain bleed. She is a dialysis patient and she was on Cumadin at the time to help regulate her blood so that she wouldn't clog up the machine. Before leaving on the flight, I was told that they ordered a drug to be administered on the flight to counter act the Cumadin, so that the bleeding would stop. Sometime, during the flight, the IV infiltrated in her arm. No one at the hospital for a week would tell me what was wrong with my mother's arm. 10 days after the flight, I was at her apartment and there was a letter addressed to me, sent to her address from Life Flight. The letter stated that PA law requires them to inform in writing when something adverse happens. They were writing to inform me of the infiltration that occurred during the flight.

My mother recovered from the brain bleed and this horrible injury to her arm. From August until February, she endured three times weekly debrising the wound, they basically, cut and removed all the skin from her arm. Despite the use of splints, the tendons in her fingers shortened. Her hand curves out like if you were using the heel of your hand to push something on the table. She can't straighten her hand or her fingers. So, she pretty much has no use of this arm, which is her right arm, which is her dominant arm. Her other arm, has her port in it for dialysis.

She received a skin graft in February, where they removed skin from her upper thigh and put it on her arm. This was quite painful for her and her arm still looks horrible.

After her skin graft, she left the hospital finally to reside in a nursing home. She had to go there because with this injury, she can't take care of herself. I am an only child and I can't take care of her either.

I contacted a lawyer and met with him in November. During all this time he's been getting the records and such. I have been told that he had an "expert" nurse examine all the records has determined that we will have a tough case. She noted that the drug that was ordered, Dilantin has specific administration instructions, which WERE followed. Ah, I don't think so, if that was the case, every person, who received this drug would have an arm that looks like my mothers.

If you are squeamish, please don't scroll any further, these photos are pretty bad. Keep in mind, the infiltration happened August 7, 2006, the photos were taken November 28, 2006, which is nearly four months (16 weeks later)

I ask you, does this look like the drug was administered as instructed???? Do you think I am crazy to think that someone should be held responsible for her injury? I am having a hard time with this. First, the drug infiltrated. Second, why was she given Dilantin, it's an anti seizure drug. A counteract to Cumadin would be either Potassium, which couldn't be used because she is a renal patient or Vitamin K. So, not only did they not give a drug properly, they MAY have given her the wrong drug.