Overview

This page concerns a routine thyroidectomy followed by a rapidly expanding neck hematoma in the hospital, where an airway-threatening emergency allegedly was not relieved in time even after the on-call ENT surgeon instructed that the neck sutures be cut to release pressure on the windpipe.

System St. Mary’s Health Care System
Fact pattern Rapidly expanding post-thyroidectomy neck hematoma followed by delay in cutting sutures to relieve airway pressure
Alleged harm Profound brain injury and death

Chronology

  1. Rachel Kim underwent a routine thyroidectomy and was recovering in the hospital after surgery.
  2. A rapidly expanding hematoma formed in her neck, she became unable to breathe, and her husband yelled for nurses to come.
  3. A nurse called a Code Blue and, after several minutes of delay, called the on-call ENT surgeon, who instructed that the sutures on Rachel’s neck be cut to allow the blood an escape route and relieve pressure on her windpipe.
  4. The emergency department physician running the Code Blue refused to cut the sutures, and by the time the ENT surgeon arrived Rachel had been without oxygen for several minutes, suffered a profound brain injury, never regained consciousness, and died a couple days later.

Alleged failures

Hospital staff allegedly delayed responding to a rapidly expanding post-thyroidectomy neck hematoma and airway emergency.

The emergency department physician running the Code Blue allegedly refused to cut the neck sutures despite the on-call ENT surgeon’s instruction.

The delay in relieving pressure on Rachel Kim’s windpipe allegedly caused prolonged oxygen deprivation, profound brain injury, and death.

Entities

St. Mary’s Health Care System, Inc.ThyroidectomyCode BlueOn-call ENT surgeonEmergency department physicianWindpipeNeck hematoma
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