Daniel E. Holloway
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Piedmont Fayette complaint alleges discharge with undiagnosed cervical fracture after car crash

The complaint alleges that a pregnant patient arrived by ambulance at Piedmont Fayette Hospital after a motor-vehicle crash with severe neck pain, was not examined by a physician, underwent painful positioning during x-ray imaging, and was discharged after a physician assistant allegedly removed her cervical collar despite continued pain and inability to hold up her head. A radiology report raised concern for cervical spine injury and recommended further testing if pain persisted, and the patient was diagnosed the next day at another hospital with an advanced odontoid fracture.

System
Piedmont Healthcare
Facility
Piedmont Fayette Hospital
Providers involved
Piedmont Fayette Hospital / Piedmont Healthcare, Inc. / Paul Oenick, PA / Saurabh Gupta, M.D. / Nadria D. Lyn, M.D.
Pattern
Alleged emergency-department discharge after car crash despite possible cervical spine injury
Harm
Alleged advanced odontoid fracture, permanent loss of neck mobility, and chronic pain

Overview

This page concerns a public complaint alleging that Piedmont Fayette Hospital discharged a pregnant emergency-department patient after a car crash without diagnosing an odontoid fracture.

Chronology

The complaint alleges as follows:

  1. The patient arrived at Piedmont Fayette Hospital by ambulance on June 23, 2022, after a serious motor-vehicle crash, wearing a cervical collar and reporting severe neck pain.
  2. The patient waited nearly an hour without pain medication or examination and family members had to help support her head.
  3. Staff removed the cervical collar during x-ray imaging and moved the patient’s head and neck despite pain.
  4. A radiologist’s report raised concern for cervical spine injury and recommended CT imaging if pain persisted.
  5. A physician assistant removed the cervical collar and discharged the patient despite continued pain and inability to support her head.
  6. The patient was diagnosed the next day at another hospital with an advanced odontoid fracture at C2-3 with 5 mm displacement.

Alleged failures

The complaint alleges the following failures:

  • The complaint alleges that the defendants breached the standard of care by failing to have a licensed physician examine the patient.
  • The physician assistant acted without proper supervision, misrepresented his credentials, and made false entries in the medical record.
  • Hospital staff ignored radiology recommendations for further observation or testing.
  • The complaint alleges medical battery based on manipulation of the patient’s neck without informed consent and despite her requests to stop.
  • The complaint alleges negligent administration and supervision by Piedmont Healthcare and Piedmont Fayette Hospital.

Entities and tags

Piedmont Fayette HospitalPiedmont Healthcare, Inc.Paul Oenick, PASaurabh Gupta, M.D.Nadria D. Lyn, M.D.Odontoid fractureCervical spine injuryC-collarDelayed or missed diagnosisEmergency department carePremature dischargeDelayed treatmentBrain or spine injuryEmergency medicineRadiologyTrauma evaluation