Nield v. Pocatello Health Servs., Inc.
Decision Date | 14 February 2014 |
Docket Number | No. 38823–2011.,38823–2011. |
Citation | 156 Idaho 802,332 P.3d 714 |
Court | Idaho Supreme Court |
Parties | Judy NIELD, Plaintiff–Appellant, v. POCATELLO HEALTH SERVICES, INC., a Nevada corporation, d/b/a Pocatello Care and Rehabilitation Center, Defendant–Respondent. |
Cooper & Larsen, Chartered, Pocatello, for appellant.Javier L. Gabiola argued.
Duke Scanlan & Hall, PLLC, Boise, for respondent.Keely E. Duke argued.
SUBSTITUTE OPINION
THE ORIGINAL OPINION ISSUED ON THIS DATE IS HEREBY WITHDRAWN.
This is an appeal from a judgment dismissing an action wherein the plaintiff sought damages for injuries sustained as a result of contracting certain infections.The district court employed a differential diagnosis analysis and held that plaintiff's medical experts were required to rule out possible sources of the infections, other than the defendant's care.The district court determined that plaintiff's medical experts' opinions were inadmissible because they did not address the other possible sources of the infections that were suggested by defendant's medical expert.We vacate the judgment and remand for further proceedings.
This action was filed by Judy Nield to recover damages from Pocatello Health Services, Inc., d/b/a Pocatello Care and Rehabilitation Center (PCRC), due to its alleged negligence in providing her with wound care, which allegedly caused her to become infected with methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and pseudomonas aeruginosa (pseudomonas), ultimately necessitating the amputation of her lower left leg and surgery to repair her right hip implant.
On August 21, 2007, sixty-five-year-old Nield was taken to the emergency room at Portneuf Medical Center (PMC) for pain and swelling in her left leg and pain in her right hip.She had had a bilateral hip replacement in 1994, and since then she had a lack of feeling in her left leg below the knee.In 2005, she dislocated her left hip in a fall, but it went undiagnosed and she continued ambulating by using a cane or walker.In April 2007, her pain increased to the point that she began using a wheelchair.She developed open sores on her lower left leg, and a nurse visited her home to assist with dressing changes.By August 21, Nield's pain was so severe that she could not get out of bed, resulting in her trip to the emergency room.It was noted that she presented "with worsening oozing and redness of her left lower extremity."Upon admission, she was "placed on contact isolation in case she had MRSA."She was administered intravenous antibiotics and wound and blood samples were collected.A laboratory report of a sample collected on August 21, 2007, from "WOUND, LEFT LEG" did not reveal either MRSA or pseudomonas.
On August 23, 2007, a physician was consulted regarding Nield's cellulitis and right hip pain.He noted that "[s]he has a fair amount of cellulitis and open blistering of her left lower extremity" and "[s]he has much less cellulitis and open areas on the right leg but has fair amount of pain both laterally and anteriorly with range of motion of her hip."The physician ordered an aspiration of her right hip to check for infection, but noted: An aspiration of her right hip was done on August 23, 2007.The laboratory report stated that no organisms were seen after 48 hours.Nield was discharged from the hospital on August 25, and the discharge summary stated that "an aspiration of the right hip showed only white blood cells but did not grow any bacteria."The discharge summary ends with a handwritten note by Dr. Ryan Zimmerman—"MRSA screen negative."
That same day, Nield was admitted to PCRC for the purpose of healing the sores on her left leg so that she could undergo surgery to repair her hip implants.She had four open wounds on her lower left leg that were to be treated.The wounds were on her left ankle, her left shin, the top of her left foot, and the back of her left calf.Upon her admission, she was not screened for either MRSA or pseudomonas.
A laboratory report of a sample collected on November 9, 2007, from "WOUND, LEFT LEG" revealed both moderate MRSA and moderate pseudomonas.She was placed on intravenous antibiotics and completed that treatment on November 25, 2007.A laboratory report of a sample collected on November 27, 2007, from "WOUND, LEFT LEG" revealed light MRSA and did not reveal pseudomonas.She was then placed on another antibiotic.On December 3, 2007, she left PCRC because her Medicare coverage was expiring.
Nield returned home where she remained until March 20, 2008, when she was admitted to PMC because of a MRSA infection in her left foot that had spread to her ankle bone.She was transferred to a hospital in Utah.On April 2, 2008, Nield's left leg was amputated below the knee due to the infection.
Nield filed suit against PCRC on October 1, 2009, claiming that negligent wound care and unsanitary conditions at its facility violated its duty of care, resulting in the amputation of her leg, impairment of her mobility, and attendant physical pain and suffering.On October 8, 2010, PCRC moved for summary judgment on the ground that Nield could not prove that the MRSA and pseudomonas infections she contracted were caused by its negligence.PCRC supported this motion with the affidavit of Dr. Thomas Coffman, a physician who was board certified in both internal medicine and infectious disease.
Among other things, Dr. Coffman stated:
Dr. Coffman offered no opinion as to whether the amputation of Nield's leg was necessitated by MRSA or pseudomonas infections.
Nield moved to strike portions of Dr. Coffman's affidavit on a number of grounds, particularly asserting that critical opinions were based on speculation.In her memorandum submitted in support of the motion to strike, Nield stated:
Nield also responded to PCRC's summary judgment motion with the affidavits of three experts: Sidney Gerber, a nursing facility expert; Suzanne Frederick, a nursing care expert; and Dr. Hugh Selznick, a medical expert.Each of Nield's experts attributed her infections to poor infection control measures by the staff of PCRC.
Gerber submitted an affidavit, which attached...
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