A wrongful death medical malpractice lawsuit, the second in recent months, has been filed against an Iowa nursing home for the death of a 58-year-old resident who was admitted just four days prior for rehabilitation following a leg amputation.
The family’s lawsuit was filed against Parkridge Specialty Care, a nursing home located in Pleasant Hill, Iowa, two of its staff members, and its parent company, Care Initiatives, alleging medical malpractice, wrongful death, and negligent hiring, retention, and supervision of employees. The same nursing home facility was reportedly cited for insufficient staffing in October 2021, January 2022, August 2022, September 2023, and in February 2024.
According to the lawsuit, a certfied nursing assistant (CNA) was with the resident during the evening on August 23, 2022 when the resident had difficulty breathing. The CNA allegedly left the room to seek the assitance of a registered nurse, who allegedly replied that she needed to complete her medication rounds and advised the CNA to find the licensed practical nurse (LPN). The LPN allegedly told the CNA that she would come to the resident’s room once she was done providing care to another resident. During this time, the resident continued to experience difficulty breathing, fell out of bed, and suffered cardiac arrest while he was alone in his room.
The CNA found the resident on the floor when he returned to the resident’s room. The LPN was paged to the resident’s room where the resident was found to have no pulse. The LPN began chest compressions and left after 30 compressions to find the crash cart. None of the staff could locate the crash cart that contained a defibrillator, according to the lawsuit.
While the LPN was out of the room seeking the crash cart, the CNA attempted to perform chest compressions using one hand with his other hand using a telephone, but he did so incorrectly and ineffectively, according to the Iowa nursing home negligence lawsuit. A responding police officer finally arrived and took over chest compressions while at least six staff members stood idly in the hallway, according to the lawsuit. Parademics did not arrive until more than one hour after the resident was first found to be having difficulty breathing. The resident died the next day at the hospital.
The defendants are seeking to have the case dismissed because the resident allegedly signed an arbitration agreement at the time of his admission. The family argues that the arbitration agreement was not read by the resident, pointing to his electronic signature just 11 seconds after the document was first opened for viewing. The family further argues that the arbitration agreement is invalid because the resident died within the 30-day revocation period specified in the arbitration agreement.
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