Bedsore Spanned Mid-Back to Rectum, Widow Claims
2-27-2016 23:08:00
SAN DIEGO (CN) - Four days on his back left a man with a “massive” bedsore, his widow claims in San Diego County Superior Court.
Dennis Mesker, by and through his widow and successor in interest, Sonja Mesker, and Sonja Mesker on her own behalf, sued Kaiser Foundation Hospitals – San Diego, alleging elder abuse, negligence, negligent hiring and supervision and wrongful death. The complaint names three other members of the Mesker family as indispensible parties and nominal defendants.
On Dec. 4, 2015, Dennis Mesker, 93, was admitted to Kaiser’s San Diego facility for “multiple surgeries to reroute a major artery to his legs through his spine,” the complaint states.
“The surgery was a result of a botched operation performed by doctors at the hospital in November of that same year where they perforated his bowel while removing aneurysms in his small intestine. The surgery resulted in a major infection which led to several hospital admissions,” the complaint states.
After the December surgery, Dennis Mesker was put in a medically-induced coma for four days, during which he was unable to turn over and Kaiser staff did not move him either, Sonja Mesker claims.
“When Dennis Mesker came out of his coma on Dec. 15, 2015, he complained to the hospital staff that his ‘butt hurt.’ Fully aware that he had not received any interventions during the period of time that he was left completely unconscious by the hospital, the hospital and their staff simply ignored his apparent signs of pain and did nothing to relieve the same,” the complaint states.
The source of Dennis Mesker’s pain was a bedsore caused by four days of lying on his back in the coma, according to the complaint. “By the time he had awoken, it had progressed to Stage IV and was massive,” it says.
In a footnote, the complaint describes a Stage IV bed sore as one in which “a full thickness of skin is lost and subcutaneous tissue is lost, exposing muscle or bone.”
“By Jan. 15, 2016 the wound was nearly a foot in diameter, was surrounded by necrotic tissue and appeared brown, black, yellow and red. It spanned all the way from the middle of his back down to his rectum,” the complaint states.
He had surgery to remove the dead tissue, after which he was left in excruciating pain for the rest of his life, according to the complaint.
“Furthermore, after the surgery to remove all of his dead tissue doctors at the hospital told family that the bedsore would probably never heal properly. That Dennis Mesker would not be able to walk again and would not be able to ever sit in a wheelchair due to the sore. Doctors also advised that he would probably spend the rest of his life in a nursing home,” the complaint states.
“In light of the bleak news, Dennis Mesker’s family made the decision to bring Dennis home on hospice. He was only home for two days when he ultimately passed away from his injuries,” it says.
Sonjia Mesker seeks general, special, punitive and exemplary damages, attorney’s fees and costs of suit. She is represented by Stephen M. Garcia, William M. Artigliere and David M. Medby of Garcia, Artigliere & Medby in Long Beach.
