Jan 11, 2008 11:00 pm US/Eastern
Lawsuit Filed Against HUP After Meningitis Death
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
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Anne Ryan, 19, died from bacterial meningitis last September.
CBS
A lawsuit has been filed against the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania on behalf of the family of a student who died from bacterial meningitis last year.
Attorneys for the family of 19-year-old Anne Ryan said the University of Pennsylvania sophomore was initially misdiagnosed with a virus at the hospital and died several days after being discharged last September.
The family filed a lawsuit against HUP charging malpractice.
On September 6 of last year, Anne came to HUP's emergency room very sick. She had a high fever, a headache and stiff neck.
Three days later, she died.
Now, her family intends to go court to seek damages claiming the hospital made errors that were fatal.
On that September day, Ryan presented with what her lawyer said were all the classic symptoms of bacterial meningitis.
Doctors saw that too, they tested for it, but the tests were not conclusive.
"She had laboratory blood results which pointed to her having meningitis and she was discharged with a diagnosis of a viral infection," said attorney Tom Kline.
Two days later, Anne's brother brought her back.
"She was gravely ill by that point. She had swelling in her brain and in the face of the swelling in her brain, she ended up having a lumbar puncture which led to a herniation of her brain," explained Kline.
In a lawsuit filed Friday, Kline alleged that the hospital made a fatal error.
"If she had been kept in the hospital, and if she had been put on antibiotics, there is no doubt in my mind that she'd be alive today," said Kline.
Dr. Patrick Brennan, Penn's chief medical officer, told CBS 3 some issues are being mischaracterized.
"We've got a team of physicians and nurses here who are expert in emergency medicine and diagnosis and treatment of conditions like this. And they did everything that they could to try to avert this tragedy," said Dr. Brennan.
The Ryan's family attorney told CBS 3 they are seeking monetary damages.
The next step is to take sworn testimony in a deposition from the doctors and other staff who cared for Anne in her last hours.
In response to the lawsuit, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania released a statement which read:
"We are disappointed by the filing of the lawsuit as Ms. Ryan received outstanding care from a staff of dedicated professionals in the Emergency Department at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Although Ms. Ryan's symptoms were not not classic for meningitis, she underwent a thorough evaluation and testing which included receiving the recognized test for detecting meningitis - a lumbar puncture - and the results were negative and remained negative. She unquestionably did not have meningitis when she was tested in the Emergency Department. Tragically, by the time Ms. Ryan returned to the hospital, the medical team was unable to save her despite immediate evaluation and intensive treatment. Although her unexpected death is a terrible tragedy and a great loss to the Penn community, the care she received in the Emergency Department was timely and appropriate."
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