2005John Doe v. Nursing Home (2005)
Plaintiff was a non-ambulatory, demented resident with severe Alzheimer’s who was fed through a feeding tube. When the tube became clogged, the nursing home’s RN called and advised the doctor of the situation. The RN then obtained an order to replace the feeding tube. Despite never having replaced a feeding tube before, the RN attempted to replace the feeding tube without any assistance. The nursing home was negligent when it failed to follow procedure for proper placement of the tube, as well as when it failed to confirm the tube was placed correctly after it was inserted. The tube was negligently inserted into the abdomen instead of the stomach pouch. Medication and food were pumped into the abdomen resulting in septic shock and death a few days later.