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UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland is a level one teaching hospital with a 3-year Pediatrics residency program, currently employing 78 residents in total. It has attracted medical students from more than 40 schools who train within the hospital as well as in a number of associated hospitals and clinics. And In addition to the Pediatrics residency program, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland has accredited fellowship programs in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Pediatric Infectious Disease, and Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine.

The cause of her death was complications from the combined tonsillectomy and procedures for sleep apnea. She was bleeding in her throat and mouth area and lost enough blood into her cavity that she literally bled to death with the heart attack being the result.

The death rate from pediatric tonsillectomy is about one in 17,000 with a half million pediatric tonsillectomies happening annually. About 30 children will die from this elective procedure in this country each year. There are a number of different reasons. Excessive bleeding can be one.

The parents did request to have her looked at when they noticed the blood, and the staff didn’t do it in a timely manner. This falls under nurse malpractice. Failure to report suspicious symptoms and complaints to the physician in charge is one of the identified reasons for malpractice. We do not know the status of the nurse or nurses who were guilty of this, so we’re not sure the suit can be a mistake by the hospital or the temporary nursing posted. Temp and traveling nurses are not employees of the hospital but of the agency that secures their work assignments. Their competency is verified before they are assigned and accepted. It is the agency’s responsibility to provide the staff under contract.

So who the nurse worked for is also in question. With the widespread use of traveling nurses or supplemental nurses, the nurses may not be employed by the hospital. Kind of a mess isn’t it. All they can do is go down the snake until they find the rattle. So, it isn’t as easy as it could/should be. But just maybe the hospital is negligent, maybe not. Time will tell.

rwood