Kindred, Vibra, and Cornerstone LTACs Hit with Ineffective Care Lawsuit: Decubitus Ulcers

Study shows 44% readmission and 17% mortality in patients with Stage IV decubitus ulcers

SANTA BARBARA , CA, UNITED STATES, December 10, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- “We describe treatments and outcomes of hospitalized patients with decubitus ulcer-related osteomyelitis who did not undergo surgical reconstruction or coverage … 44% patients were readmitted due to complications from osteomyelitis, and 17% died," states Laura Damioli, MD. Therapeutic Advance in Infectious Disease. Volume 10, pg. 1-9. 2023.

Greg Vigna, MD, JD, national decubitus ulcer attorney, explains, “Long-term Acute Care Hospitals (LTACs) that accept patients with Stage IV decubitus ulcers and do not offer flap closure for cure are providing ineffective care, billing for ineffective care, and, in fact, a contributing factor for the foreseeable death of their patient when they then discharge a patient home with a Stage IV decubitus ulcer.”

Dr. Vigna continues, “As a medical director of a Long-term Acute Care Hospital (LTAC), I developed a flap program that allowed my hospital to safely admit and manage patients with Stage IV decubitus ulcers and provide surgical closure of the wound after obtaining a valid informed consent by discussing risks versus benefits of surgical closure versus conservative wound care. Simply providing two weeks of intravenous antibiotics and a vac pack is not an effective treatment unless your goal is to infect the patient with multidrug-resistant bacteria.”

Dr. Vigna adds, “The study by Dr. Damioli supports what was taught to me nearly 30 years ago during my residency at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, where we routinely provided flap closure for patients who suffered hospital and nursing home-acquired bedsores.”

What conclusions did Dr. Damioli provide following her outcome study of patients with Stage IV pelvic decubitus ulcers with osteomyelitis (bone infection)?:

1) Within 1 year, 56 (63%) patients were readmitted, 38 (44%) patients were readmitted due to complications from osteomyelitis, and 15 (17%) died.
2) “Among patients with decubitus-related osteomyelitis who did not undergo myocutaneous flapping, outcomes were generally poor regardless of treatment, and not significantly improved with prolonged antibiotics.”

Read Dr. Damioli's article: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20499361231196664

Dr. Vigna concludes, “We represent the Estate of Rachelle Dillinger in the Houston area where Ms. Dillinger was admitted to several LTACs, including the national provider Vibra, Cornerstone, and Kindred, that did not provide a treatment plan that included flap closure, billed for services that were destined to fail, and discharged her home with serious wounds that could not be managed at home.”

Greg Vigna, MD, JD, is a national malpractice attorney and an expert in wound care. He is available for legal consultation for families and patients who have suffered decubitus ulcers due to poor nursing care at hospitals, nursing homes, or assisted living facilities. The Vigna Law Group, along with Ben C. Martin, Esq., of the Ben Martin Law Group, a Dallas, Texas national pharmaceutical injury law firm, jointly prosecute hospital and nursing home neglect cases that result in bedsores nationwide.

Case: 202428492
Harris County, Texas

Greg Vigna, MD, JD
Vigna Law Group
+1 8178099023
email us here
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