According to the report, a nurse replaced a breathing tube in an 81-year-old patient but did not remove the tube’s cap. The respiratory error caused the patient to suffocate and die. According to the report, the incident occurred in June 2011.
The hospital was slapped with the maximum penalty for not having established procedures in place to ensure safe insertion of breathing tubes in patients. Hospital management plans to appeal the state’s penalty but also expressed sadness over the patient’s death.
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