CHARLESTON – A Fayette County woman has filed a medical malpractice suit against an Oak Hill provider.
Frances Haga filed her complaint in federal court against Peachtree Inpatient Consulting.
According to the complaint, Haga sought treatment at Peachtree's Plateau Medical Center after experiencing pain in her right upper leg/hip area following a fall on August 2, 2022. Despite multiple visits and numerous tests conducted over several weeks, no fractures or significant abnormalities were identified.
Haga, who was 82, went to the medical center a few times after the initial visit, including being admitted from the Emergency Department after another fall on August 17, 2022. That x-ray also was negative for a fracture, but she was admitted by Dr. Scott A. Keller. The complaint says she was in the medical center for more than two weeks complaining of constipation, severe pain in her hip and abdomen as well as her thigh and leg.
On Septmber 2, 2022, Haga was complaining of abdominal pain and not having a bowel movement for a few days.
"An abdominal X-ray showed gaseous distention of large and small bowel loops throughout the abdomen," the complaint states. "At this point, the patient had MiraLAX, milk of magnesia, fleets enema, soap suds enemas and prune juice ordered as needed."
She wasn't better the next day, according to the complaint, and a nasogastric tube was placed with the return of green-brown contents. The complaint also says her feet and toes were cool and purple in color. Haga was tachycardic and she went into atrial fibrillation, according to the complaint.
haga then was transferred to West Virginia University's Ruby Memorial Hospital where she then underwent a CT angiogram that showed a large, incarcerated hernia containing colon with pneumatosis, suggestive of necrosis. She was taken to surgery on September 4, 2022, where the colon was found to be obstructed and necrotic inside the hernia. She was taken back to the operating room the next day for creation of an end ileostomy and her abdomen was closed.
The complaint says Haga’s hospital course at West Virginia University was complicated by septic shock, aspiration pneumonia, thrombocytopenia, encephalopathy, hypoxic respiratory failure, acute renal failure requiring dialysis, urinary tract infection and atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response.
According to the complaint, Haga was discharged from WVU on October 6, 2022, to a rehabilitation facility and has been unable to leave rehabilitation/assisted living since her discharge.
She accuses the defendant, as the employer of Keffer, of providing her with inadequate medical treatment. She seeks compensatory damages, pre- and post-judgment interests and other relief.
Haga is being represented by R. Dean Hartley and Mark R. Staun of Hartley Law Group.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia case number 2:23-cv-00730