The Denver Coroner has ruled that a 25-year-old woman who died after surgery in May at the Colorado Orthopaedic and Surgical Hospitalwas the victim of a drug reaction and that poor emergency training probably contributed to her death
Hilary Carpenter died May 20, five days after doctors at the newly opened hospital replaced a shunt valve in her brain in an attempt to relieve migraine headaches.
The coroner ruled that the surgery was performed correctly. However, Carpenter was given the pain killer Demerol the day after surgery and she stopped breathing. A state investigation found that the hospital’s staff was unfamiliar with a “crash cart” that was brought in to revive her.
About 20 minutes after she stopped breathing, the staff called 911 and paramedics took her to Exempla St. Joseph Hospital where she died four days later.
The coroner ruled that Carpenter died of cardiorespiratory arrest caused by an adverse reaction to the Demerol. The coroner also stated that the review suggested that the delay in treating her was a significant contributing factor to her death.
The hospital, which opened in September 2008, has been ordered to stop accepting new patients until its emergency procedures were improved.
Mike McPhee: 303-954-1409 or mmcphee@denverpost.com
