Medical malpractice claim filed by patient who contracted MRSA skin infection

A Huntingdon Valley, Pa. man who says he contracted the skin infection commonly referred to as MRSA after a stay at the hospital for treatment of an adverse reaction to anesthesia stemming from an earlier medical procedure has filed a lawsuit against a number of doctors and healthcare facilities he claims were negligent during the course of his treatment.

Mount Laurel, N.J. attorney Andrew C. Rimol, of the firm Parker McCay, filed the medical malpractice claim May 10 at Philadelphia’s Court of Common Pleas on behalf of Charles P. McDade and his wife, Kathleen.

Named as defendants in the suit are Dr. Richard E. Moses, Philadelphia Gastroenterology Consultants, PGC Endoscopy Center, nursing assistant Dawn S. Keown, Penn Valley Anesthesia Associates, and Jeanes Hospital.

Charles McDade’s problems first began in March 2005, when he began seeing Moses for evaluation and treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease, the complaint states.

Moses performed an upper endoscopy on McDade in early May 2006, after which he experienced what turned out to be an adverse reaction to the anesthesia used during the medical procedure, the suit states.

After experiencing nausea, chills, fever, vomiting and uncontrollable shaking in his body, McDade was taken to the emergency room at Holy Redeemer Hospital, where he ended up staying overnight.

Two years later, in late May 2008, McDade went back to Moses to undergo another upper endoscopy, before which he informed Moses and a nursing assistant with Penn Valley Anesthesia Associates that he had had a bad reaction to the anesthesia two years prior, the lawsuit states.

That procedure seemed to go off without a hitch.

Then, in May 2010, McDade went back to Moses to undergo a colonoscopy, since he had a history of colon cancer in his family, the complaint states.

Prior to the procedure, McDade again informed his health practitioners of his prior allergic reaction to the anesthesia. This time, however, McDade experienced the same problems as before, with nausea, chills, vomiting, fever and shaking taking place when McDade arrived home after the procedure.

McDade ended up being taken to the emergency room at Jeanes Hospital, where he was found to have a temperature of 105 degrees and was admitted to the intensive care unit for treatment, the lawsuit states.

McDade was discharged on May 12, 2010 after his condition improved.

Following his discharge, the suit claims, McDade began to experience severe rectal pain and on June 14, 2010, a dermatologist diagnosed McDade as having a large abscess on his right buttock.

Later that same day, McDade was taken to the emergency room at Holy Redeemer Hospital where he underwent a surgical incision and drainage procedure, which subsequently determined that McDade had been suffering from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, more commonly referred to as MRSA, according to the complaint.

Since the diagnosis, McDade has suffered from various MRSA outbreaks, all of which have caused him great pain and discomfort, and have required “significant and painful” treatment and care, the suit states.

“Mr. McDade will never be cured and requires continued monitoring and treatment to manage/address his MRSA infection and the recurrent painful abscesses it causes,” the lawsuit states. “Mr. McDade suffers from a chronic colonization of the MRSA organism a result of which he will continue to experience relapses and recurrent abscesses.”

The lawsuit contains numerous counts of negligence against the various defendants named in the litigation.

There is also a loss of consortium count on behalf of McDade’s wife.

The couple seeks compensatory damages in excess of $50,000, plus delay damages, punitive damages, and litigation costs.

A jury trial has been demanded.

 

The case ID number is 120500763.