When a person experiences kidney failure, they may need to be put on dialysis. Dialysis purifies a person’s blood, a role normally performed by one’s kidneys. However, recent media reports highlight some of the potential dangers at dialysis centers.
Last November, a 37-year-old woman died after she experienced trouble breathing while at the Stony Island Davita dialysis center. Workers at the center eventually called an ambulance, but not until approximately five hours had passed. The woman’s mother told reporters she thinks that if her daughter had been sent to the hospital immediately, her daughter would not have died. She has hired a lawyer, but as of the time of this report has not filed a lawsuit.
In another tragic incident, a 71-year-old woman died after being locked inside a dialysis center’s waiting room after the center closed for the night. The woman’s daughter said her mother’s nursing home called her to let her know the woman not taken back to the nursing home after going to a Davita dialysis center in Joliet earlier that day. The daughter phoned law enforcement and went to the dialysis center, where she could see that her mother was in the dialysis center’s waiting room. Eventually police were able to get through the locked doors and the woman was rushed to an area hospital. Sadly, she passed away the following day. Security videos reportedly show that the staff left the facility through a back door that evening. The woman’s family is suing Davita.
These two deaths are especially tragic, as their lives were in the hands of the staff at these two centers. While it remains to be seen how these two cases will unfold legally, it is important to remember that in any act of medical malpractice, it is important to hold the right parties accountable.
Source: CBS Chicago, “2 Investigators: Mistakes, Delays At Dialysis Centers Caused Deaths Of 2 Women, Families Say,” Dave Savini, Feb. 22, 2017
