Woman gives birth; doctors cut off all her limbs by mistake

[Captain tycho]

I am both sympathetic, pissed off, and oddly not really surprised. Some doctors are, to be frank, cockbiting blowjobing cumguzzling retarded whores.

Article:

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A Sanford mother says she will never be able to hold her newborn because an Orlando hospital performed a life-altering surgery and, she claims, the hospital refuses to explain why they left her as a multiple amputee.

The woman filed a complaint against Orlando Regional Healthcare Systems, she said, because they won't tell her exactly what happened. The hospital maintains the woman wants to know information that would violate other patients' rights.

Claudia Mejia gave birth eight and a half months ago at Orlando Regional South Seminole. She was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center in Orlando where her arms and legs were amputated. She was told she had streptococcus, a flesh eating bacteria, and toxic shock syndrome, but no further explanation was given.

The hospital, in a letter, wrote that if she wanted to find out exactly what happened, she would have to sue them.

"I want to know what happened. I went to deliver my baby and I came out like this," Mejia said.

Mejia said after she gave birth to Mathew last spring, she was kept in the hospital with complications. Twelve days after giving birth at Orlando Regional South Seminole hospital, she was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center where she became a quadruple amputee. Now she can not care for or hold her baby.

"Yeah, I want to pick him up. He wants me to pick him up. I can't. I want to, but I can't," she said. "Woke up from surgery and I had no arms and no legs. No one told me anything. My arms and legs were just gone."

Her 7-year-old son, Jorge, asks his mother over and over what happened to her. Neither she nor her husband has the answer.

"I love her, so I'll always stick with her and take it a day at a time myself," said her husband, Tim Edwards.

The couple wants to know how she caught streptococcus, during labor or after. She doesn't know. She knows she didn't leave the hospital the same.

"And why, I want to know why this happened," she said.

Her attorney, Judy Hyman wrote ORHS a letter saying, according to the Florida statute, "The Patients Right To Know About Adverse Medical Incidents Act," the hospital must give her the records.

"When the statute is named 'Patients Right To Know,' I don't know how it could be clearer," Hyman said.

The hospital's lawyers wrote back, "Ms. Mejia's request may require legal resolution." In other words, according to their interpretation of the law, Mejia has to sue them to get information about herself.

That's the sticking point, the interpretation of the Patients Right To Know act, a constitutional amendment Florida voters passed a little more than a year ago.

Mejia's other attorney, E. Clay Parker, said the hospital is not following the law

"We were forced to file this and ask a judge to interpret the constitutional amendment and do right," Parker said.

Mejia hopes the right thing is done. She said not knowing exactly why it happened is unbearable. She only hopes she'll be able to soon answer her little boy's question, 'What happened?'

"He told me everyday, 'What happened,' and I don't have any answers for that," she said.

ORMC said Mejia is requesting information on if there were other patients or someone on her floor with the streptococcus. They said, if they release that to her, that would be a violation of other patients' rights.

What.

The.

Fuck.


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[Master of Ossus]

That is the most bizarre story, ever. How can they go through with quadruple amputations without getting someone in the family to sign off on a consent form, at the least. And why are they insisting on a lawsuit in order to even find out what happened?

[Durandal]

In other words, the hospital's lawyers are stalling her so that they can come up with some sort of medical reason for a multiple amputation. Dear God, this is absolutely sickening.

[Saurencaerthai]

I'm surprised that there isn't a contract out on these doctors.

[Mr Bean]

In other words, the hospital's lawyers are stalling her so that they can come up with some sort of medical reason for a multiple amputation. Dear God, this is absolutely sickening.

No-shit the doctor in question will lose his liscence permantly, the hosptial in question will be sued to high hell and something like this will aquire cult status.
After all who in their right fucking might would want to go to this hosptial after this? The massive amount of incomptance nessary for something like this to happen is insane, it means no-one, from those who sedated her to the nurses to the pre-prep and the acutal operation team questioned why an obiviously just pregnate woman is having her arms and legs hacked off.

[fgalkin]

My guess is "bureacuractic fuckup." They transported her to another hospital, but mixed up the papers. The doctor in the new place went "aha, amputate," and did so.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[Durandal]

My guess is "bureacuractic fuckup." They transported her to another hospital, but mixed up the papers. The doctor in the new place went "aha, amputate," and did so.

In that case, the bureaucrats in question are shredding the relevant paperwork.

[mr friendly guy]

The hospital maintains the woman wants to know information that would violate other patients' rights.

I am curious as to how that one exactly works. Presumably they refer to other patients' right to confidentiality, although I can't see what that has to do with her, since she is only asking about her own medical condition.

[Edi]

The hospital maintains the woman wants to know information that would violate other patients' rights.

I am curious as to how that one exactly works. Presumably they refer to other patients' right to confidentiality, although I can't see what that has to do with her, since she is only asking about her own medical condition.

Like somebody said, they're just stalling for enough time to destroy evidence of their own fuckups. Can't think of any other reason that makes sense.

Edi

[InnocentBystander]

That poor woman.

[wautd]

Horrible

[His Divine Shadow]

JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!!!!!

[His Divine Shadow]

P.S. I sure as hell hope there's some quick fucking progress in the field of regrowing limbs or cybernetics or whatever so this poor woman won't have to live her whole life like that....

[mr friendly guy]

The hospital maintains the woman wants to know information that would violate other patients' rights.

I am curious as to how that one exactly works. Presumably they refer to other patients' right to confidentiality, although I can't see what that has to do with her, since she is only asking about her own medical condition.

Oops. I missed this part.

ORMC said Mejia is requesting information on if there were other patients or someone on her floor with the streptococcus. They said, if they release that to her, that would be a violation of other patients' rights.

Hospitals are actually a good place to catch infections, due to the collection of sick people there. Its a risk, but can be minimised. And as much as it sucks, nasocomial infections do occur. So its not inconceivable that she may have caught it from another patient.

It seems that the hospital lawyers are using a technicality to forstall her. Presumably to get around that, her lawyer could advise her to just ask for her own medical records, particularly the part where they make the diagnosis of streptococcus.

And on another note I wonder about the problems in protocol which allowed this stuff up to occur.

1) communication between the doctors at both hospitals. Orlando Regional Medical Center doctors should have been informed that she was coming, with name and other forms of identification, such as a medical unit number, date of birth etc.

2) Checking identification. One would have thught that patients have a little wrist band with such details on the band, so if the name on the armband doesn't match the notes sent, you know something is going on. Or of course asking the patient their name if they are conscious.

3) consent. Either from the patient or relatives if she is unable to give consent for the procedure.

[Bounty]

The hospital maintains the woman wants to know information that would violate other patients' rights.

I am curious as to how that one exactly works. Presumably they refer to other patients' right to confidentiality, although I can't see what that has to do with her, since she is only asking about her own medical condition.

Like somebody said, they're just stalling for enough time to destroy evidence of their own fuckups. Can't think of any other reason that makes sense.

Edi

As the last line of the article says, their "excuse" is that revealing if ayone on her floor had the disease she was supposedly suffering from would violate that patient's right to confidentiality. Which, to me, sounds like the legal equivalent to grasping at straws, since the name of said patient wouldn't have to be revealed; all the hospital needs to do is show the test results that identified the supposed illness. The fact that they haven't done this speaks volumes.

[Mr Bean]

Hospitals are actually a good place to catch infections, due to the collection of sick people there. Its a risk, but can be minimised. And as much as it sucks, nasocomial infections do occur. So its not inconceivable that she may have caught it from another patient.

The thing is streptococcus is fucking rare, like people who die from Ebola in downtown New Jersey rare. The chances of someone acutaly being infected with streptococcus at that hosptial and not already A. Dead. B. Dead. C. in complete and total isolation, spacesuits and everything for doctors. Well... If it acutal happened she's in line to win three diffrent lotto's on the same day, be struck by lightning twice on a sunny day and then crushed behind the tourbus of KISS.

Or in other words, the probability of their bullshit acutal being true? About to or equal to the above(Prehaps not being run down but only winged by the KISS bus.)

[WyrdNyrd]

I am still having difficulty believing that it's true. I checked the URL, expecting to see "The Onion". To think that this could happen in an American, free-market, "we have the best healthcare in the world, as well as the most expensive" hospital boggles the mind.

And in true SDN fashion, I believe that the only appropriate punishment for the doctors and administrators involved, would be sell all their worldly goods to pay for 24x7 care for this woman. And they should then be forced to work in a salt mine for the rest of their miserable lives, again with all pay going to the woman.

I'd be tempted to sell off their wives and children into slavery, too, but that might be going a bit far. Not the rugrats fault, really...

[mr friendly guy]

The thing is streptococcus is fucking rare, like people who die from Ebola in downtown New Jersey rare. The chances of someone acutaly being infected with streptococcus at that hosptial and not already A. Dead. B. Dead. C. in complete and total isolation, spacesuits and everything for doctors. Well... If it acutal happened she's in line to win three diffrent lotto's on the same day, be struck by lightning twice on a sunny day and then crushed behind the tourbus of KISS.

Or in other words, the probability of their bullshit acutal being true? About to or equal to the above(Prehaps not being run down but only winged by the KISS bus.)

Streptococcus is actually not exactly rare. The group A streptococci (so called "flesh eating" and the one responsible for strep toxic shock syndrome) commonly colonize the throat of kids and young adults. The incidence of carriage has been reported to be 15-20% (I am looking at my medical microbiology book at this moment for stats). This study also found it in a similar percentage in healthy subjects.

They can cause various types of infection. Some infections like the toxic shock syndromeshe was alleged to have is very rare.

In other words, I stand by my statement that its not unreasonable to say someone can"catch" the bacteria while in hospital. Whether she actually did have streptococcus, and whether it did cause TSS, or whether the hospital is just bullshitting is another matter. My bet is on the last option since the hospital seems to be stalling on releasing her medical records.

[Broomstick]

I am going to play devil's advocate here...

First of all, as usual, we're only hearing one side of this story. A pregnant woman who gets all her limbs lopped off is an instant object of pity and outrage and will sell a lot of cornflakes for the media. A hospital is an ugly, faceless corporation in which scary things go on and thus makes a fantastic villian.

Now, to address some issues.

The thing is streptococcus is fucking rare, like people who die from Ebola in downtown New Jersey rare. The chances of someone acutaly being infected with streptococcus at that hosptial and not already A. Dead. B. Dead. C. in complete and total isolation, spacesuits and everything for doctors. Well... If it acutal happened she's in line to win three diffrent lotto's on the same day, be struck by lightning twice on a sunny day and then crushed behind the tourbus of KISS.

No sir, streptococcus is NOT rare. Not rare at all. I guarantee your throat and skin and other mucus membranes are crawling with it right now. You can culture it off any human being. It's just that usually your skin and immune system keeps it in check.

Strep gone wild IS the infamous "flesh-eating bacteria". It moves very fast through the fascia (the connective layers just under the skin), at a rate of an inch an hour on average, and can kill within 48 hours.

Even when it's not FEB, a strep skin infection is horribly painful and can damage various organs. I myself have had the misfortune to have such an infection, and when I did, in addition to a shitload of antibiotics and some scary instructions on Bad Thing to Look For, my kidney function was also very closely monitored, and there were concerned noises being made about possible effects on the heart. And that wasn't even a strep infection bad enough to hospitalize me.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A Sanford mother says she will never be able to hold her newborn because an Orlando hospital performed a life-altering surgery and, she claims, the hospital refuses to explain why they left her as a multiple amputee.

Please note the phrase "she claims" - the hospital is NOT going to talk to the media at all. For all we know, they DID explain to her exactly why they did what they did, but she didn't accept the answer.

The hospital maintains the woman wants to know information that would violate other patients' rights.

To me, this is the wackiest part of the whole story - I can't figure out how her finding out what happend would violate the rights of other people.

She was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center in Orlando where her arms and legs were amputated. She was told she had streptococcus, a flesh eating bacteria, and toxic shock syndrome, but no further explanation was given.

As I mentioned, strep can manifest as FEB. It certainly can induce toxic shock. It is possible to suffer from both at the same time. Amputation IS, unfortunately, an all too common outcome of either of the above.

IF that was the case, it is possible the medical personal tried to explain what was going on and what was about to happen, but the woman was too out of it to comprehend. Or she might have just said "Save me, save me, I want to live." over and over without understanding of what that would require. We weren't there and we certainly aren't getting the whole story here.

The hospital, in a letter, wrote that if she wanted to find out exactly what happened, she would have to sue them.

If it concerns other patients, this may indeed be the case.

Mejia said after she gave birth to Mathew last spring, she was kept in the hospital with complications. Twelve days after giving birth at Orlando Regional South Seminole hospital, she was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center where she became a quadruple amputee

OK, that's interesting - what were her complications? Did she have an infection? That's a rather important point they just breeze past. These days, you have to be pretty damn sick to be in the hospital 12 days.

"Woke up from surgery and I had no arms and no legs. No one told me anything. My arms and legs were just gone."

Yes, that can happen. Without any malice on anyone's part. You can be driving down the road, BAM! and wake up a week later in the hospital missing body parts. You can have a nasty infection, go to the hospital, fall unconcious, and BAM! wake up missing bodyparts. Medical emergencies don't always leave you concious or allow for long, detailed explanations and prep time for catastrophes. It's a horrible, horrible thing but it can and does happen to people every year.

The couple wants to know how she caught streptococcus, during labor or after.

We ALL have strep on us, ALL the time. No negligence is required to come down with it. Doesn't mean there wasn't negligence, only that it is not required.

"And why, I want to know why this happened," she said.

Because the universe is a pervers and hostile place?

The hospital's lawyers wrote back, "Ms. Mejia's request may require legal resolution." In other words, according to their interpretation of the law, Mejia has to sue them to get information about herself.

About herself...? Or about other patients....? Because some of the statements in this article seem to imply that the couple in question believe or suspect she caught this infection from someone else. Under the law, she has no right to the information of other patients in that hospital, but if she, her husband, and their lawyer are fishing for that sort of information yes, they WILL have to go to court and provide justification for accessing other peoples' medical records.

ORMC said Mejia is requesting information on if there were other patients or someone on her floor with the streptococcus. They said, if they release that to her, that would be a violation of other patients' rights.

Bingo.

The hospital is correct - disclosing whether or not anyone else had an active strep infection (we are all strep "carriers") at the same time WOULD be a violation of US law, specifically HIPAA, which carries very severe penalities for doing so.

That is the most bizarre story, ever. How can they go through with quadruple amputations without getting someone in the family to sign off on a consent form, at the least.

If she was having complications post-delivery and signed a consent form for treatment, it may have been broad enough to cover amputations to save a life. If she was unconcious, in imminent danger of death, had given prior consent to treatment, and no family member could be contacted the hospital would, most likely, make the presumption she would want to live rather than die and would go forward with emergency transport and treatment. You have to explicitly refuse treatment in most circumstances, even something as extreme as quadruple amputation.

How do you do that? On the consent form you write in "except for treatments X, Y, and Z" but most folks don't do that. Most of the time, they don't even read the form. (And docs can get really wiggy if you insist on reading the forms sometimes.)

And why are they insisting on a lawsuit in order to even find out what happened?

Well, according to one side of this dispute, they've been told what happened - she developed a life-threatening infection after labor and delivery and her limbs were amputated to stop that infection and save her life. She and her husband are saying that explanation isn't good enough, they want to know WHY she got strep like that. The hospital (I'm presuming) said something along the lines of "bad luck" and the couple in question don't accept that as a legitimate answer.

Well, I'm sorry, that sort of bad luck DOES happen in this world. It's understandable the family involved is pissed off and unhappy about it, and I suspect they are looking for someone or something to blame. No doubt they'd like to have a big settlement from a lawsuit, if only because the woman is going to require a LOT of rehab and care.

(I really HOPE then send her to rehab - a quadruple amputee requires a lot of help, but they are seldom completely helpless if they have any sort of residual limb left - but nothing in the article states the specifics of her circumstances. If she still has her knees and elbows, for instance, her prospects are much better than for a high-level amputation)

So, really, we don't know. It could be the hospital did nothing wrong and aren't hiding anything and are operating in a completley moral, ethical, and legal manner and this family is simply outraged at the fact fate pissed on them mightily and they're looking for a scapegoat. Or it could be the hospitale did fuck up. We don't know. We can't know from the information presented.

[xerex]

what I want to know is, what happened to the person who DID have flesh eating bacteria ? Did they try and deliver a baby from her ?

[mr friendly guy]

what I want to know is, what happened to the person who DID have flesh eating bacteria ? Did they try and deliver a baby from her ?

It seems they already delivered the baby from her. She then developed "complications" which presumably mean the strep infection.

[18-Till-I-Die]

I'm simply stunned personally.

I'll try and remember to follow this if i can, just to see what happens.

But i'm with the concensus i just have this feeling, somewhere papers are being run through a shredder and a hospital directors' board is panicing to cover its collective ass.

The above is just my opinion only...of course it could just as easily be exactly what they said--and i would hope so actually, having health issues myself i would like to think doctors acting ethically and in good faith.

But all i'm saying is, if it isnt so, i would not be surprised at all.

[GuppyShark]

I'm hazy on the spread of this infection. Can you really experience outbreak in all limbs but not the torso?

[Jadeite]

The Public Relations department probably wants to ream a new asshole in whoever was responsible for that fuckup.

[Molyneux]

What...the...fuck.
Something smells very rotten here.

Unfortunately, His Divine Shadow, while we have fairly good prosthetics - better than a peg leg and a hook - we still cannot directly connect an artificial limb to someone's nervous system, and the idea of limbs with feedback (remember Luke saying 'ow' when the fingers on his artificial hand were pricked?) is a bit further off than that.

The closest we've come on that front is an electrode in the brain of a rhesus monkey allowing her to be trained to move a robotic arm - so it may be in the near future for humans, but it's still a matter of years.

That poor woman...