A stroke affected person who was rushed final yr to an Orange County hospital that focuses on treating strokes suffered main mind harm after ready almost eight hours for surgical procedure as a result of the medical middle didn’t have the correct gear or a succesful neurosurgeon, in line with a lawsuit.
The go well with, filed Monday, Might 19, towards Orange County International Medical Middle, alleges the Santa Ana hospital didn’t have the “endovascular equipment” essential to deal with a bleeding aneurysm and was on a “credit hold” by the seller who provides it. Moreover, the on-call neurosurgeon was a backbone physician incapable of treating affected person Khusro Jhumra, 51, the go well with alleged.
Jhumra’s spouse, Maliha Siddiqui, needed to name a health care provider good friend to assist discover a succesful neurosurgeon with privileges at Orange County International. However by the point the surgical procedure occurred, Jhumra had suffered main harm, making him incapable of caring for himself, in line with the go well with.
“A horrible tragedy, but an avoidable one,” mentioned legal professional Dan Hodes, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of Jhumra and Siddiqui. “Had they operated as a certified stroke center should have, Khusro would have walked out of there the next day.”
An official for the hospital typically denied the allegations.
“The hospital disputes the specific claims from the lawsuit, but cannot comment further on pending litigation, ” mentioned Dr. Tirso del Junco, chief medical officer of KPC Well being, which owns Orange County International and 6 different Southern California hospitals within the International Medical Middle system.
A assessment by the federal Division of Well being and Human Providers on Jhumra’s case discovered that the hospital failed to make sure “patients received care in a safe environment.”
The assessment famous that the alleged unavailability of provides was not investigated till greater than 5 months after the actual fact. Moreover, privileges had been granted to 2 neurosurgeons although they didn’t meet {qualifications}, the report mentioned.
“These failures created the risk for substandard healthcare outcomes to the patients in the hospital,” the assessment concluded.
Del Junco responded that Orange County International Medical Middle “fully cooperated” with the Facilities for Medicare & Medicaid Providers and the California Division of Public Well being, “and submitted a responsive plan of action, which has been accepted by both entities. As a level II trauma center critical to serving the community’s healthcare needs, we continuously strive to improve patient care.”
Jhumra was planning together with his household to have a good time his birthday on July 14, 2024, when he grew to become unresponsive at his dwelling in Orange County. (His spouse has requested that their metropolis of residence not be disclosed.)
Considered one of his three kids referred to as 911 and paramedics arrived inside 5 minutes. Siddiqui mentioned in an interview that paramedics took Jhumra to Orange County International as a result of it’s designated a “stroke receiving center,” bypassing at the least one different hospital that was nearer.
In its on-line web site, Orange County International boasts of being considered one of fewer than 300 licensed complete stroke facilities in america, saying “time is precious” on the subject of treating mind aneurysms. “Our team is skilled and experienced in treating stroke symptoms, fast,” the web site mentioned.
Complete stroke facilities are supposed to supply the best degree of stroke care, with the power to deal with complicated instances, below requirements set by the American Stroke Affiliation, the American Coronary heart Affiliation and the Joint Fee, a nonprofit group that accredits well being businesses throughout america.
California laws require complete stroke facilities to have ample workers, gear and coaching to deal with stroke sufferers 24 hours a day, seven days every week, in line with the lawsuit.
For that cause, Orange County emergency providers tips direct paramedics to move sure stroke sufferers to the closest stroke receiving middle.
“I didn’t have a choice,” Siddiqui mentioned. “You trust the physical care providers. You trust the system.”
However hours after Jhumra arrived within the emergency room, Siddiqui mentioned she had not spoken to a surgeon.
“I kept asking, ‘Where’s the doctor?’ and they said, ‘Calm down, we’re trying to figure out when the surgeon can get over here,’ ” she mentioned. “We’re in an ER, we have a brain bleed, why isn’t a doctor rushing him into surgery?”
Based on the lawsuit, the hospital didn’t have a neurosurgeon on name able to eradicating the blood accumulating in Jhumra’s mind, “which was slowly killing plaintiff Khusro Jhumra’s brain cells.”
Siddiqui mentioned she phoned a health care provider good friend, who discovered an out there neurosurgeon able to working on Jhumra. The surgeon got here to Orange County International to do the operation, however a whole lot of harm, a whole lot of bleeding had already occurred, Siddiqui mentioned.
“So now he is a very different man,” she mentioned. “What our family went through, is continuing to go through, is just not describable.”
Jhumra, as soon as an IT advisor for a corporation and personal pilot, can now not communicate and his proper arm is paralyzed, Siddiqui mentioned. His imaginative and prescient is gone from his proper eye, she mentioned. And he now wants a caregiver.
“He can’t do any activities of daily life,” Siddiqui mentioned. “I’m still in shock and definitely livid that this alleged place of care inflicted so much harm on him and our family.”
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