Resident's penis rots because of failure to provide wound care
There have been several articles about the lawsuit filed against Everett Rehabilitation and Care Center that neglected a resident's penis until it rotted off. See articles here, here, and here.
A lawsuit has been filed against a Washington state nursing home accused of neglecting Charles Bradley's penile infection. The lawsuit states that Bradley was taken to an emergency room, where doctors discovered his penis had decayed, leaving only a gaping wound. He died 18 days later, in March 2008. The lawsuit cites an investigation by the state Department of Social and Health Services, which shows the nurse told a manager in November 2007 that the man had a wound on his penis. Staff noticed that Bradley's skin was breaking down while changing his diaper in November 2007. The records say the manager forgot about the report and neglected to properly care for the wound. Though staff notified a care manager, that manager failed to notify Bradley's doctor. Instead, the manager went on a three-week vacation and when she returned she forgot about the nurse's report.
Bradley's family claim staff at the nursing home left a wound on the elderly man untreated for months. Nursing home records allege that staff changed the man's diaper daily and provided him weekly baths between November 2007 and March 13, 2008. During the four months that followed the initial notice of the wound, Bradley's genitals essentially broke apart bit by bit while the elderly man steadily lost weight. By allowing Bradley's injury to fester and worsen for months, the nursing home and parent company SunBridge Healthcare Corp. violated a promise to care for him. "They trusted that the nursing home would provide the care they said they would provide," family spokesman said Wednesday. "We're not talking about extraordinary care. We're talking about basic daily needs."
An investigation conducted by the center's director of nursing "did not find any impropriety" by staff. State regulators, though, issued the center a citation for failing to meet quality of care requirements set by federal law. The state determined that the home failed to meet a federal standard for care. The man didn't receive timely medical attention and the facility failed to notify his family or his doctor of changes in his health, the state determined.
"There was no evidence the facility had contacted the resident's physician … to allow for timely medical intervention," the state investigators said in an investigatory report provided by DSHS. "There was no evidence the facility had contracted their social services department or the resident's family." A financial penalty was not assessed.
“They definitely should have seen it. There was no documentation that his penis was beginning to fall off,” Gooding said. “We believe they chose not to put it in the records.” Sounds like a cover up but no monetary fine was issued!
