Emory University Hospital complaint alleges Stage 3 and Stage 4 pressure ulcers during 2024 admission

Overview

This page concerns a public complaint alleging that Emory University Hospital staff failed to follow pressure-injury prevention protocols during a 2024 admission, allowing a bedbound patient to develop Stage 3 and Stage 4 pressure ulcers.

Chronology

The complaint alleges as follows:

1. The patient was admitted in preparation for a liver transplant arising from liver failure and end-stage renal disease.
2. Multi-organ failure on February 11, 2024 left the patient completely immobile and at high risk for pressure injury under a Braden Scale score of 12.
3. The patient was not placed on a specialty alternating-pressure mattress until March 3, 2024, and the hospital stopped using that mattress on March 6.
4. Staff failed to reposition the patient every two hours, failed to keep the head of the bed at or below 30 degrees as ordered, and failed to obtain timely wound-care consultation.
5. The sacral wound progressed to Stage 4, a separate occipital pressure injury developed during intubation, and both wounds were documented as full-thickness Stage 4 injuries before discharge.

Alleged failures

The complaint alleges the following failures:

• The complaint alleges professional negligence in monitoring, repositioning, documentation, and pressure-injury prevention.
• Staff failed to use or maintain appropriate pressure-relief equipment.
• Wound-care consultation was delayed after a suspected hospital-acquired skin injury was documented.
• The complaint asserts ordinary negligence for alleged hospital-administration failures involving staffing, communication, and policy implementation.

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