PITTSBURGH — A patient is suing Frick Hospital, t/d/b/a Excela Health Frick Hospital and UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside, citing alleged professional negligence, corporate negligence, and violation of EMTALA.
Shawnee Ankrom filed a complaint on Oct. 1 in the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County against the defendants, alleging they delayed the preparation of emergent fasciotomies for compartment syndrome.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that between July 1 and July 5, 2017, she went to Frick Hospital's emergency room due to a twisted ankle from an accident that same day. She needed an orthopedic surgeon after an evaluation of her x-ray but one wasn't immediately available.
Ankrom was complaining of a 10 out 10 pain in her right ankle and was subsequently transferred to UPMC, where an open reduction and internal fixation of her tibial and fibular fractures, four compartment fasciotomies of right lower leg and placement of wound vac were performed.
Days later, Ankrom returned to UPMC where a delayed primary closure of her fasciotomy wounds measuring greater than 20 cm. in length was performed. The plaintiff says the defendants discharged her in an unstable emergency medical condition and UPMC allegedly failed to timely decompress patient's compartment syndrome.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks to recover economic, compensatory and any other damages, for an amount which exceeds the arbitration limits of the county, plus costs and interest. She is represented by Jerry Meyers and Gregory Unatin of Meyers Evans Lupetin & Unatin LLC in Pittsburgh.
The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County Case No. is GD-18-012689.