Question

Mr. Gonzales was admitted to a surgical center for a routine colonoscopy during which three polyps were removed. The procedure began at 11:00a.m. and he was released at 12:30p.m. The patient began experiences abdominal pain the following day. He tried to phone the attending physician at 2:00p.m. and later called the physician’s nurse at 5:00p.m. Mr. Gonzales told the nurse he was experiences severe abdominal pain and that he was flushed and felt her had a fever. The nurse told Mr. Gonzales that everyone had gone home for the day, and she advised him to take aspirin for the fever and call back in the morning. Mrs. Gonzales drove her husband to the hospital the following morning at 10:00a.m. He was placed on antibiotics, which did not resolve the problem, and he had surgery on the on the fifth day following the original colonoscopy. At that time, it was determined that the patient’s intestine was perforated at the time of the polyp removal, and Mr. Gonzales now has a permanent colostomy.

Was the nurse negligent in the advice she gave Mr. Gonzales concerning his condition?

Did the nurse exceed her scope of practice in the advice she gave the patient?

Should the nurse have instructed Mr. Gonzales to go immediately to the local emergency center?

Who, if anyone, is liable in this case?

Answer 1

After colonoscopy mild abdominal pain is considered as normal.but any how severe pain and fever is not normal. So very first visit nurse has to refer for further investigation. In this case nurse miss an emmergency and pt will be sufferer in this case. It is consider the negligence of nurse and she is answerable for the same.