Piedmont Eastside complaint alleges appendicitis diagnosis delay across repeat visits before perforation
The complaint alleges that emergency-department and primary-care providers evaluated a patient at four encounters over about ten days for abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting without diagnosing appendicitis. An October 1, 2024 CT scan at Piedmont Eastside Medical Center was read as showing no acute abnormality and the patient was discharged with epigastric pain and gas pain, while later visits to Macley Family Practice and the emergency department continued to treat the symptoms as gastroenteritis. An ordered repeat CT scan was discontinued on October 6, 2024, and imaging on October 11, 2024 showed perforated appendicitis with peritonitis, abscess, and small bowel obstruction, followed by emergency surgery and about seventeen days of inpatient care.
Overview
This page concerns a public complaint alleging that emergency-department and primary-care providers did not diagnose appendicitis across repeated visits for abdominal pain before it perforated.
Chronology
The complaint alleges as follows:
- The patient presented to the Piedmont Eastside Medical Center emergency department on October 1, 2024 with abdominal pain rated 10 out of 10, and a CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis was interpreted as not demonstrating acute surgical pathology.
- She was discharged early on October 2, 2024 with diagnoses including epigastric pain and gas pain.
- Clement O. Ayanbadejo, M.D. saw her at Macley Family Practice on October 4, 2024 and ordered no abdominal imaging.
- At an October 6, 2024 emergency-department visit Matthew T. Tinkham, M.D. ordered a CT scan with IV contrast and then discontinued the order, and she was discharged with a diagnosis of non-infective gastroenteritis.
- A second Macley Family Practice visit on October 10, 2024, about ten days into her symptoms, again treated the condition as gastroenteritis.
- CT imaging on October 11, 2024 showed appendicitis with perforation, peritonitis, gangrene, abscess, and small bowel obstruction, and emergency laparoscopic appendectomy and inpatient treatment for sepsis followed.
Alleged failures
The complaint alleges the following failures:
- The providers failed to appropriately reassess the patient during repeat encounters for ongoing abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and anorexia.
- They improperly relied on a CT scan read as normal several days earlier and did not broaden the differential diagnosis.
- An ordered CT scan was cancelled despite persistent pain, allowing the condition to progress to perforation before it was diagnosed.
- The complaint pleads medical malpractice, vicarious liability, ordinary and institutional negligence, and negligent infliction of emotional distress, with an expert affidavit under O.C.G.A. ยง 9-11-9.1.