It’s best to seek the help of a nurse attorney when facing different complaints and allegations. However, some nurses tend to face these results instead without thinking that nurse attorneys are always reliable for matters such as these.
On or about June 1, 2017, an LVN from El Paso failed to timely notify the physician when a patient, who was status post decompressive craniectomy with the placement of an external ventricular drain, experienced critically high intracranial pressure(ICP) and instead informed the physician approximately two (2) hours later.
Subsequently, the physician ordered diuretic medication and the patient underwent a stat computerized tomography (CT) scan, which revealed extensive frontal intracerebral hemorrhage.
Her conduct exposed the patient to a risk of harm from a delay in necessary interventions to address the high pressure around the patient’s brain.
When summoned by the Texas Board of Nursing, the LVN states that during report on this patient, she saw that the ICP was high so she asked the nurse if she had called the doctor since the patient came from the operating room in the afternoon, and the nurse told her that the patient’s ICP was high since returning and she was trying to sedate the patient first.
The LVN states that immediately after the report, which took forty-five minutes, she assessed the patient and saw that he was grimacing, his muscles were tense, he was over breathing the ventilator and his· blood pressure and ICP were high. She states that based on her assessment, the patient was in pain and not well sedated, so she increased the fentanyl drip, elevated the head of the bed over 30 degrees, and went to get the propofol to start the drip as ordered.
The LVN states she was then called to her other patient’s room so she went in there and it was about 20 minutes until she was able to come on time. The LVN states that the ICP was still high even though the patient was well sedated and not showing signs of pain, so she called the doctor. She states that in hindsight, she should have stopped report and called the doctor because the day shift nurse said she had not called the doctor since the patient arrived in the intensive care unit from surgery.
The LVN states that she believes that she intervened appropriately, though there was a failure to timely notify the physician due to factors such as several interruptions during handoff report and during her care of the patient.
However, her license was disciplined due to her failure to hire an experience a nurse attorney.
Any RN or LVN should never commit errors or misconduct in work as it may affect their performance, which may lead to further issues to the patients they are taking care of. Additionally, if you ever undergo cases such as this, it’s best to seek the assistance of a good nurse attorney as it could make the case better in your favor. Be sure to find a nurse attorney who’s experienced and knowledgeable in several nurse cases to ensure the best assistance possible.
If you also received a complaint regarding a case filed on you, you should hire a nurse attorney immediately before it’s too late. Texas nurse attorney Yong J. An is one of those dedicated nurse lawyers who helped various nurses in their cases since 2006. You may contact him 24/7 at (832) 428-5679 for more information or if you want to schedule a private consultation.