a 65 year old male client was discharged from the hospital and 5 days post gallbladder surgery. At around 10am the caregiver note signs of infection all the incision site and an elevated temperature. The caregiver left a message with the attending physicians answering service requesting the doctor to return the call but did not document this. The physician never called back and the caregiver forgot to follow up at 4:00 pm that day, the client suffered a massive cardiac arrest and died. The autop
Answer (1)
The likely cause of the cardiac arrest is sepsis or post-surgical infection leading to systemic complications.Signs of infection at the incision site and fever suggest wound infection.Without immediate treatment, infection may spread to the bloodstream (sepsis), which can cause organ failure or cardiac arrest.The failure to document and follow up with the physician led to a delayed response, which may have contributed to the patient's death.This highlights the importance of proper post-operative care and communication.
