Learning from Lawsuits

Here are some links mentioned in the podcast that may be helpful to listeners:

DNR vs AND: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allow_natural_death

Excellent Webinar on POLST: https://www.wsma.org/wsma/education/on_demand_webinars/polst-and-your-practice-tools-to-improve-patient-conversations.aspx?_zs=vlUFd1&_zl=glgWA

Serious Illness Conversation Guide: https://www.ariadnelabs.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Serious-Illness-Conversati...

A 33-year-old woman arrives at the emergency room struggling to breathe—her symptoms alarming, her condition urgent. What follows is a rapid series of events marked by uncertainty, communication gaps, and a critical moment that changes everything.

In this episode of Learning from Lawsuits, we unpack a heartbreaking case involving abnormal electrolytes, unclear documentation, and a sudden cardiac arrest that occurred just minu...

In this episode, we unpack the case of a 40-year-old woman who came to the Emergency Department with right upper quadrant abdominal pain—an atypical presentation that led her care team away from considering appendicitis. Without the “classic” symptoms, the diagnosis was missed, and she was discharged home—only to return two days later with a ruptured appendix.

We explore how cognitive biases, atypical presen...

In this episode hosts Katie Wyatt NP-C and Charles Piltcher MD discuss a sad case of a patient who was taken to the ED by law enforcement for medical evaulation, and because of violence against the nuse and law enforcement officers, the patient was evicted to jail without medical exam. The patient had a cardiac arrest in the jail 30 minutes after arrival. Listen for the details and tips on how we can avoid situations like this in t...

This episode reviews a malpractice case where a psychiatric patient boarded in an ED for over 24 hours was restrained in a prone position, sedated, and left unmonitored, resulting in cardiac arrest and severe brain injury.

We discuss failures in monitoring, documentation, restraint policies, and the broader problem of psychiatric boarding, plus lessons for clinicians to prevent similar outcomes.

Many thanks to those of you who have...

Welcome to the Learning from Lawsuits podcast, where we review real medical malpractice lawsuit cases so healthcare providers can learn from them.

In this episode a 62-year-old with WPW presents in atrial fibrillation; a nurse practitioner recognizes the case is beyond her scope and transfers care to the attending, documenting a detailed handoff. The patient later arrests after the NP’s shift but recovers and sues claiming PT...

In this episode of Medical Manners, we share the story of a woman who came to the emergency department for abdominal pain. She was under the influence, declined care, and left—only to be found dead 12 hours later in a jail cell.

This case led to a lawsuit, but more importantly, it raises crucial questions about how we care for our most vulnerable patients. How do we balance compassion and clinical judgment when treating thos...

In this episode of "Learning from Lawsuits," we delve into a medical malpractice case involving a woman in her late 50s presenting with the worst headache of her life, intermittent vision loss, and confusion. Despite her alarming symptoms, she was discharged with a diagnosis of conversion disorder. Less than 24 hours later, she returned to the ER with an occipital stroke, leading to a lawsuit against the emergency physician and sta...

Welcome to the latest episode of the Learning from Lawsuits podcast, where hosts Katie Wyatt and Dr. Charles Pilcher delve into the intricate world of medical malpractice with a focus on real cases that offer valuable learning experiences for healthcare providers. In this episode, they discuss a peculiar case involving a failed urethral catheterization in a 47-year-old male patient with acute urinary retention. The case sheds light...

In this eye-opening episode of "Learning from Lawsuits," we dive into a complex case where a seemingly minor issue with a contact lens was misdiagnosed as a stroke or migraine, leading to a legal battle. Follow the journey of a woman whose persistent eye pain was misunderstood by multiple healthcare professionals, resulting in a drastic deterioration of her vision.

Join us as we dissect the miscommunications and cognitive biases th...

In today's episode we discuss the story of a man who fell off a ladder, landed on his knee, and walked—or so he thought—into an ER for what seemed to be a straightforward injury. He was diagnosed with a muscle tear… but just three days later, he underwent an above-the-knee amputation.

What went wrong? Could it have been prevented? And most importantly—how do we as clinicians, nurses, and providers ensure we...

It started with a simple ankle injury. A young man sought care for what seemed like a routine contusion, but his provider suspected cellulitis—and that’s where things took a disastrous turn. What followed was a cascade of missteps that ultimately led to a colectomy and a grueling seven-week hospital stay.

Where did things go wrong? Could this outcome have been prevented? In this episode, we dissect the key moments in hi...

Your clinical judgment doesn’t have to be perfect—but your documentation needs to be. When a lawsuit arises, your notes become your defense. If you didn’t document it, you didn’t think about it—at least in the eyes of the law.

In this episode, we break down why thorough medical decision-making documentation is crucial, how it can mean the difference between a defensible case and a devastating lawsuit, ...

A patient came in with back pain—something we see every day in healthcare. But this case was different. Despite multiple visits and misdiagnoses, the true cause remained hidden until it was too late. By the time her spinal epidural abscess was discovered, irreversible damage had been done, leaving her quadriplegic for life.

In this episode, we dive deep into her story—what went wrong, the red flags that were missed, and...

In this episode of Medical Malpractice Insights: Learning from Lawsuits, we discuss the heartbreaking case of a 16-year-old male who died of lymphoblastic lymphoma just two days after being discharged from the emergency department. What warning signs were missed? What could have been done differently? We examine the key takeaways from this case to help healthcare providers recognize red flags, improve clinical decision-making, and ...