Wellstar amended complaint alleges a bariatric-surgery leak went undiagnosed and surgery was delayed by transfers

The amended complaint alleges that a 33-year-old patient developed a bowel obstruction and leak after revision bariatric surgery. Providers at two Wellstar hospitals allegedly did not recognize or act on it for days. She was evaluated at the Atlanta Medical Center emergency department on July 1, 2021 and discharged without imaging. A CT scan the next day at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital showed a high-grade obstruction, but surgery did not happen until about eleven hours later. She died at Atlanta Medical Center on July 4, 2021 of sepsis and bowel perforation.

System: Wellstar Health System, Inc.
Facility: Atlanta Medical Center
Providers involved: Wellstar Health System, Inc. / Wellstar’s Kennestone Hospital, Inc. / Wellstar Medical Group, LLC / Atlanta Medical Center, Inc. / Atlanta Medical Center Physician’s Group, LLC / Larry Hobson, M.D. / Robert Hull, M.D. / Rachel Godlewski, M.D. / Mohan Punja, M.D. / Lucas Lathrop, M.D. / Zakia Boston, PA / Richard Rivera, PA / Brandee McDonald, NP / Emily Klingman, RN / Matthew Moore, RN / Joanna Stephens, RN / Jonathan Hopson, RN / Cimone Hamiter, RN / Caitilin Sampson, RN
Pattern: Alleged days-long failure to diagnose a postoperative bowel obstruction and leak, then a delayed transfer for emergency surgery
Harm: Alleged sepsis, bowel perforation, and death

Overview

This page concerns a public complaint alleging that Wellstar-affiliated hospitals did not recognize or act on a bariatric-surgery patient’s bowel obstruction and leak for days. It alleges that transfers between hospitals then delayed her emergency surgery.

Chronology

The complaint alleges as follows:

The patient underwent revision bariatric surgery, including gastric bypass revision and hernia repair, at Atlanta Medical Center on June 28, 2021.
She returned to the Atlanta Medical Center emergency department on July 1, 2021 with abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Robert Hull, M.D. evaluated her and did not order imaging before she was discharged hours later.
She presented to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital’s emergency department on July 2, 2021 with fever, tachycardia, and abdominal tenderness.
A CT scan there showed a high-grade bowel obstruction, and the findings were called to Rachel Godlewski, M.D. at 7:43 p.m. She was not transferred back to Atlanta Medical Center until about 2:30 a.m. on July 3, 2021.
Surgery did not begin until about 6:40 a.m. on July 3, 2021, roughly eleven hours after the obstruction was confirmed. Larry Hobson, M.D. found an anastomotic leak.
She became septic and was placed on a ventilator. She died at Atlanta Medical Center on July 4, 2021 of cardiac arrest, sepsis, and small bowel perforation.

Alleged failures

The complaint alleges the following failures:

Emergency-department providers at Atlanta Medical Center did not order imaging despite the patient’s recent bariatric revision surgery and worsening symptoms.
Dr. Godlewski and Kennestone emergency-department providers did not act promptly on a CT scan showing a high-grade obstruction.
Two internal transfers at Kennestone cost an hour and forty-one minutes before the CT results. Kennestone providers then transferred her to Atlanta Medical Center instead of operating, delaying surgery at least 11 hours.
The complaint alleges that these delays proximately caused her sepsis, bowel perforation, and death.
The amended complaint pleads medical malpractice, a survival claim, negligent hiring and supervision, lack of informed consent, vicarious liability, and systemic negligence. It seeks punitive damages and attaches affidavits under O.C.G.A. § 9-11-9.1.

Entities and tags

Wellstar Health System, Inc.Wellstar’s Kennestone Hospital, Inc.Atlanta Medical CenterSmall bowel obstructionAnastomotic leakSepsisGastric bypass revisionFulton CountyDelayed or missed diagnosisDelayed treatmentWrongful deathBariatric surgeryEmergency medicineGeneral surgeryCritical care nursing