CHOA-Hughes Spalding complaint alleges repeated discharges before a child’s pneumonia death

The complaint alleges that a three-year-old patient died after multiple emergency-room and pediatric-office visits in May 2023 during which providers allegedly failed to perform a chest x-ray or blood work, failed to admit the child despite abnormal vital signs, and sent the child home with treatment for presumed viral illness or continued outpatient medication. The child collapsed on May 12, 2023, could not be resuscitated, and an autopsy identified extensive advanced pneumonia and pleuritis with empyema as the cause of death.

System: Emory Healthcare / Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Facility: CHOA-Hughes Spalding Emergency Room
Providers involved: Emory Healthcare Inc. / Emory University / The Emory Clinic, Inc. / Children’s Hospital Atlanta / CHOA-Hughes Spalding Emergency Room / Jennifer M. Collier-Madon, M.D. / Mark A. Griffiths, M.D. / Kaley L. French, M.D. / Anjali S. Chaudhari, M.D. / Rajani Chaudhari, M.D. / Rajani Chaudhari MD/PC
Pattern: Alleged repeated pediatric emergency and office discharges without pneumonia workup or admission
Harm: Alleged death from extensive advanced pneumonia, pleuritis, and empyema

Overview

This page concerns a public complaint alleging that a pediatric patient died after repeated emergency-room and pediatric-office encounters in which providers allegedly failed to perform diagnostic testing or admit the child despite abnormal vital signs.

Chronology

The complaint alleges as follows:

On May 8, 2023, the child presented to Children’s Hospital Atlanta with cough, fever, post-tussive emesis, fever, elevated respiratory rate, and elevated pulse, and was discharged with a presumed viral illness without chest x-ray or blood work.
On May 10, 2023, the child returned to a pediatrician with abnormal vital signs and was transported by EMS to CHOA-Hughes Spalding Emergency Room.
The child was again discharged from CHOA-Hughes Spalding on May 10 despite wheezing, crackles, elevated pulse, and elevated respiratory rate.
On May 11, 2023, pediatric providers evaluated the child with pulse oximetry of 88%, pulse of 175, and respiratory rate of 65, but sent the child home rather than to the emergency room.
On May 12, 2023, the child collapsed, was transported to CHOA in full cardiac arrest, could not be resuscitated, and was pronounced dead.

Alleged failures

The complaint alleges the following failures:

Emory-related providers failed to order a chest x-ray and blood work during the second emergency-room visit.
Pediatric providers failed to send the child to the emergency room on May 11 despite critically abnormal vital signs.
The complaint alleges that corporate healthcare entities are responsible for alleged negligence by physicians under agency and respondeat superior theories.
The alleged failures caused the child’s pain, medical expenses, funeral and burial costs, and death.

Entities and tags

CHOA-Hughes Spalding Emergency RoomChildren’s Hospital AtlantaEmory Healthcare Inc.The Emory Clinic, Inc.PneumoniaPleuritisEmpyemaChest x-rayBlood workDelayed or missed diagnosisPremature dischargeDelayed treatmentPediatricsEmergency medicinePediatric emergency medicinePrimary care pediatrics