Inpatient with Missed Med Has Heart Attack

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

Staff at a Pottsville hospital failed to provide a patient with a prescribed drug and five days after admission he suffered a heart attack.
The hospital's failure earned it a citation from the state Health Department which issued a report on the October incident last week.
According to that report, the patient was admitted to the intensive care unit at Lehigh Valley Hospital - Schuylkill on Oct. 10 suffering from hypotension and a urinary tract infection. On Oct. 15 the patient complained of chest pains and was found to have suffered a heart attack.
A review of the patient records by state Health Department surveyors showed that during those five days the patient was not given a previously prescribed medication.
According to the report the 129 bed hospital "failed to ensure prior to admission medications had been reviewed by the nurse and the provider for MR1 (the patient)."
The admitting nurse, the report continues, was required to review with the patient and the family all medications.
"The provider has the primary responsibility of assuring the patient's medications," the report continues.
A plan of correction filed by the hospital calls for staff to be notified by memo of the responsibility to conduct a complete medication review at the time of admission. Under the plan audits will be conducted for three months to ensure compliance.
Hospital officials did not respond to a series of questions including whether the patient recovered from the heart attack.
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