| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
State report links baby's death to numerous hospital errors
Monday April 21, 2003LOS ANGELES (AP) State health inspectors say a series of medical errors caused the death of a 16-month-old girl who entered UCLA Medical last year to fix a cleft palate, the Los Angeles Times reported.
An autopsy of Delaney Lucille Gonzalez said she died from lack of oxygen after a misplaced breathing tube pumped air into her stomach instead of her lungs, according to the newspaper.
But a report by the California Department of Health suggest that was just one of the problems. The radiology department waited hours before reviewing X-rays that would have identified problems. The report also cited failure to replace a malfunctioning carbon-dioxide breathing monitor, and it noted that despite doctor's orders, staff members did not alert supervisors when the girl's condition worsened.
``There is absoluteley no question that...these violations led to the baby's death,'' said Brenda Klutz, deputy director of licensing and certification at the California Department of Health Services.
On Delaney's death certificate, a UCLA physician initially wrote ``airway obstruction'' as the cause of death, but after an autopsy, the Los Angeles County coroner added the breathing tube as the cause.
Delaney's parents, Jodi and Danny Gonzalez, sued the hospital and the University of California regents for negligence and failure to provide correct information on Delaney's death certificate.
UCLA declined to comment on the case, citing pending litigation, the Times said.
But the hospital released a statement expressing its sadness over Delaney's death and its condolences to her family.
``As always, UCLA Medical Center's first priority is to provide the highest standard in quality patient care and safety,'' the statement also said.
In response to the report, UCLA has pledged to improve its system of care and is working with state health officials. In an unrelated move, the UC system in March announced plans to track medical areas at its five campus medical centers by internet.
Jodi and Danny Gonzalez, who are now expecting another child, say they hope the lawsuit will force changes in the system.
``No one should have to go through this ever,'' Danny Gonzalez said. ``My last memory was handing her to the doctor, giving her a kiss and watching her get carried away.''
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