Dr. Antonio Ocaña, owner of the Ocaña Medical Center in Florida, was accused of malpractice after his patient ended up in a coma
A Florida man ended up in a coma for a month after doctors ignored his cough, a lawsuit claims.
Rafael Cardona, 75, visited Ocana Medical Center in Tampa on Jan. 14, 2019, with a sore throat, body aches and a cough.
A lawsuit filed by Cardona does not specify “whether a physical exam was performed,” but the patient returned 10 days later with “a deep cough with chest pains and pain in the upper left back.”
The clinic’s owner, Dr. Antonio Ocaña, failed to conduct or document the completion of an evaluation, according to the complaint.
Instead, he allegedly prescribed her an Albuterol inhaler, a corticosteroid prednisone, and a painkiller Tramadol based on what another provider in the office told him.
Days later, after being rushed to the hospital, doctors discovered that Cardona actually had pneumonia and had suffered from sepsis.
Rafael Cardona, 75, was placed in a medically induced coma for 42 days after his pneumonia was ignored, leading to sepsis (stock)
When Mr. Cardona returned the next day, the pain had radiated to his left mid-back and was worse when he breathed deeply.
The complaint, obtained by the The Miami HeraldHe said that Dr. Ocaña “signed the visit note” but “did not perform or document the completion of an in-person evaluation.”
‘The standard of care required (Dr. Ocaña) to refer (Mr. Cardona) for a specialty or emergency consultation during the visit on January 24, 2019 or January 25, 2019.’
On January 28, Mr. Cardona was rushed to the hospital with pneumonia and sepsis, diseases that kill one American every 90 seconds.
This led doctors to put Mr Cardona in a coma for 42 days. Because sepsis attacks healthy tissues and organs, a medically induced coma can help slow the damage.
And because about one-third of all sepsis cases are detected in a hospital, this can mean doctors having to admit their mistakes and face litigation.
Sepsis occurs when an infection triggers an overreaction of the immune system, in which chemicals in the bloodstream go out of control.
Instead of sending infection-fighting white blood cells to attack a foreign invader, it attacks healthy tissues and organs, such as the limbs, lungs and kidneys, leading to organ failure and sometimes amputations.
Sepsis is responsible for 300,000 deaths and is the leading cause of death in hospitals in the United States. And for every hour that treatment is delayed, the likelihood of death increases by four to nine percent.
Cardona also suffered a lung abscess, a cavity in the lung filled with pus, usually caused by a bacterial infection such as pneumonia. If left untreated, an abscess can rupture and cause fluid to leak into the lungs, making it difficult to breathe.
According to the complaint, the malpractice suit against Dr. Ocaña was settled in 2022 and Mr. Cardona received $237,500 from Dr. Ocaña’s insurance.