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A telemetry unit is a hospital department where staff members use electronic equipment to monitor the vital signs of patients with life-threatening conditions. Unlike in an intensive care unit, patients in telemetry units are often stable but still require continuous monitoring. Small lead plates are placed on a patient and connected to a central monitor that records, stores, and displays patient data.
A telemetry unit nurse’s role is to monitor and analyze the collected data. In case of an abnormality or alarm, a unit nurse must respond by providing appropriate patient recovery treatment. It is crucial that nurses respond timely to these alarms, and if they don’t, it could cause very serious consequences.
Telemetry units mostly monitor the heart rates of patients with heart problems, such as arrhythmia, using an electrocardiogram, also known as an ECG or EKG. However, some units have additional medical devices to monitor data such as blood pressure, respiration, and blood oxygen saturation for signs of various illnesses.
How Could Telemetry Be Linked to Medical Malpractice?
Telemetry monitoring can improve medical care and patient health if it is conducted appropriately and medical action is promptly taken. Unfortunately, telemetry medical malpractice often results from monitoring errors. Given the high-risk conditions of patients in telemetry units, negligence can cause severe injuries, such as brain damage or paralysis, and even death.
Telemetry unit malpractice can happen due to the following:
Under Staffing
Health care providers too often prioritize profits over quality care. Therefore, facilities are often understaffed to save on expenses. When a telemetry unit does not have enough nurses and technicians, there’s bound to be a communication breakdown and overwhelmed staff who cannot attend to patients as required. A hospital can be held liable for an injury to or death of a telemetry unit patient that happens due to understaffing.
Insufficient Monitoring
Lack of proper monitoring in telemetry units can occur due to understaffing or when hospitals employ unqualified staff who cannot properly interpret readings. Such failures are likely to result in missed readings and cause delayed response times, often with catastrophic consequences for patients.
For instance, a former Boeing engineer died in 2022 at a Wichita, Kansas, medical center allegedly because no one in the telemetry unit was watching his vitals on the monitor when he stopped breathing.
Misdiagnosis and Failure to Diagnose
Medical malpractice can also occur when a doctor fails to diagnose a condition or take a patient’s full medical history. With a wrong diagnosis, a doctor may fail to order telemetry monitoring in situations requiring it. If a physician fails to order appropriate telemetry monitoring and an adverse event happens, patients can suffer a hypoxic brain injury and either be left brain-dead or even die.
Case Study: The Consequences of Neglect in Patient Monitoring
Our experienced lawyers at Freedland Harwin Valori Gander have successfully handled a wide range of medical malpractice claims, including those based on telemetry unit negligence. Recently, we won a $20 million jury verdict on behalf of the widow and young son of a patient who overdosed on a strong painkiller at Boca Raton Regional Hospital.
On May 27, 2020, Josh Hamby checked into the facility with severe pain, which Dr. Joshua Glauser of West Palm Beach diagnosed as pancreatic inflammation. Glauser prescribed one of the strongest opioid medications—Dilaudid—to relieve the patient’s pain. However, Glauser failed to order telemetry monitoring.
Hamby was found unresponsive and without a heartbeat the next day due to an overdose. Hamby was resuscitated but remained unresponsive in the ICU until his family removed him from life support a week later.
FHVG partner Daniel Harwin proved Glauser’s failure to meet reasonable standards of care and treatment by prescribing medication without a proper diagnosis. Had the doctor taken the medical history, he would have learned Hamby suffered from sleep apnea and prescribed a safer painkiller.
The jury also found that Glauser breached the standard of care by failing to order constant monitoring by a telemetry unit. Glauser’s lawyers had argued that he didn’t order monitoring because the facility’s staff was overworked. The jury found that failing to monitor vital signs with a telemetry monitor or a pulse oximeter constituted medical malpractice.
Do You Suspect Telemetry Negligence? How Our Medical Malpractice Lawyers Can Help
If you suspect telemetry nursing negligence has harmed you or a loved one, you can take the following steps to protect your rights to pursue com:
- The highest priority is to ensure the patient is out of harm’s way.
- Avoid discussing your suspicions with the doctors and medical professionals involved.
- Gather all the evidence you can, including hospital bills, medical records, dates of admission, and losses incurred.
- Consult a lawyer to review your case and determine whether you can file a lawsuit.
Freedland Harwin Valori Gander has over 20 years of experience in medical malpractice, including telemetry unit negligence matters. When you work with us, our medical malpractice attorneys and team of legal professionals will do the following:
- Conduct a thorough investigation to determine what happened and who is responsible.
- Collect evidence, such as a physician’s records and eyewitness testimony, to build a strong case.
- Consult medical experts to prove a health care provider’s negligence.
- Calculate your total damages, including losses you’re likely to incur in the future.
- Prepare and file a medical malpractice complaint and other legal documents on time.
- Handle the communications and negotiations with the insurance company.
- Litigate your case and represent you in court proceedings.
- Try your case before a judge and jury if the insurance company is unwilling to settle for the compensation you deserve.
Contact Our Medical Malpractice Attorneys
Telemetry monitoring is supposed to save lives. If you or your loved one has suffered harm from telemetry nursing negligence, our award-winning medical malpractice lawyers at FHVG are here to help. Our team has the resources, experience, and tenacity to take on big hospitals and insurance companies on your behalf.
Contact our office in Fort Lauderdale or Coral Gables, and let’s put our 20+ years of experience to work for you. You can also call FHVG at (954) 467-6400 or fill out our online form for a free consultation anytime, anywhere.
