Washington County hospital once again under fire due to another stroke patient
A Monongahela hospital is once again under fire after a medical malpractice lawsuit ruled in favor of a patient who said he didn't get the help he needed while having a stroke.
Stephen Burrows was driving in his car on Feb. 28, 2021, when his attorney said he began to feel weakness and numbness on his left side and dizziness.
Ben Cohen, an attorney with Harry Cohen and Associates and representing Burrows, said that's when his client pulled over and called 911.
EMS then rushed Burrows to the nearest stroke hospital, Penn Highlands Mon Valley Hospital.
"Once he gets to the hospital, that's ultimately where the providers who he trusted with his life and his health didn't give him the same care and attention that a stroke center should," Cohen said.
Cohen said while all signs pointed to Burrows having a stroke, it took 19 hours before he got the proper stroke treatment.
"He didn't get any stroke treatment for 19 hours," Cohen said. "Unfortunately, the stroke was not diagnosed timely and he didn't really receive treatment for that stroke until it was too late and permanent neurological damage had resulted."
Cohen said Mon Valley Hospital and emergency doctor Mary Ratay were found negligent by a jury during a trial last week.
"At the time of Mr. Burrows's care, [the hospital] didn't have an on-site neurologist, so they had to call out to get a neurologist involved," Burrows said. "The MRI department at Mon Valley Hospital was closed on Sundays. An MRI is for a definitive diagnosis of the stroke, and an MRI wasn't done until the next day."
Cohen said stroke treatment should have been initiated before an MRI was performed.
"An MRI shouldn't have been what prevented him from getting the treatment that he needed. The symptoms that he came in with should have alerted them to a stroke diagnosis. The MRI could have been used to definitively diagnose it, but yeah, it was closed on Sundays. They weren't concerned enough to transfer him out or bring somebody in for an MRI, so they just scheduled him the next day, Cohen explained.
Cohen said his Burrows was 64 years old when he had his stroke.
"Stephen Burrows was as active as active goes. He was into downhill skiing, whitewater rapid kayaking, camping, and biking. I mean, he was an outdoorsman as much as you can be, and now, unfortunately, due to what was preventable, he's kind of a shell of the man that he was," Cohen said.
"The whole left side of his body has become extremely weak. He walks with a significant limp. He uses a cane to get around. He sleeps in a hospital bed. His vocal cord has been paralyzed, so his voice has been affected severely."
Cohen said Burrows, now 68, has worked hard to not let this beat him.
"He's done a lot of physical therapy. It's really incredible how far he's come. I mean, he even takes what's called a recumbent tricycle, which he takes out a couple of times a week. Now, it's not what he used to be doing. He used to take 60-mile bike rides. Now, for 10, 20, 30 miles, he can go on some trails with a group, but it's impacted his life severely," Cohen said.
A jury ruled in Burrows' favor last week, awarding him $856,000 for pain and suffering, mental anguish, embarrassment, and humiliation.
KDKA-TV reached out to the hospital for comment in regard to the verdict, a spokesperson sent this statement: "The case is in appeal therefore Penn Highlands Healthcare cannot comment."
The verdict comes one month after KDKA-TV reported about another patient who was rushed to Mon Valley Hospital who said they were showing tell-tale stroke symptoms but didn't get test results for hours.
That patient eventually signed themselves out of the hospital, against medical advice, and went to another hospital for care.
