Massachusetts Personal Injury News
Patient's Death at Massachusetts General Hospital Due to Alarm Fatigue
April 6, 2010 – Boston, Massachusetts - A heart patient at the Massachusetts General Hospital who died in January was recently found by federal investigators to have been the victim of “alarm fatigue.”
On duty at the time of the patient’s death were 10 nurses. Not one of those 10 nurses can recall hearing the beeps at their station or seeing a tickertape message scrolling on one of their hallway signs warning them of a problem with the patient, whose name and age have been removed from the federal report detailing the hospital death.
The patient’s heart rate had begun to fall and eventually, after 20 minutes of receiving no help, the patient’s heart stopped altogether.
The investigation also showed that the volume control for the alarm on the patient’s bedside had been turned off the night before. It is unknown who was responsible for doing this.
Ultimately, investigators believe that part of the reason for this patient’s wrongful death was desensitization to the alarms, otherwise being referred to as “alarm fatigue.” There have been numerous other deaths across the country related to this problem as beeps are sometimes unheard or are completely ignored. In fact, not only have some monitors been accidentally turned off, but some have been purposely turned off because the staff find the alarms to be aggravating.
Massachusetts General Hospital has begun to take steps to correct these and other problems found at the hospital.
If your loved one has died due to negligence or medical malpractice in Massachusetts, you may be entitled to file a wrongful death claim. It would be in your best interest to contact an experienced Massachusetts personal injury attorney who will protect your rights and ensure you get the justice and compensation you rightfully deserve. Massachusetts has a statute of limitations that may prohibit you from filing a lawsuit if too much time has passed. Call now to schedule a FREE evaluation of your case – 1-888-208-1695.
