On October 6, 2019, Roberta Pothanszky was admitted to Cambridge Manor in Fairfield, Connecticut, for short-term rehabilitation after undergoing successful hip revision surgery. In connection with her transfer to Cambridge Manor, physicians’ orders instructed Mrs. Pothanszky’s caregivers to follow post-operative hip precautions—a series of protocols that are specifically designed to minimize the risk of a dislodging the head of the femur (the “ball”) from the acetabulum (the hip socket), a condition known as “dislocation.” Unfortunately, nursing personnel at Cambridge Manor did not follow these standard hip precautions when they placed Mrs. Pothanszky into a Hoyer lift (a mechanical sling apparatus) to lift and move her body from the bed. After the Hoyer lifting episode, Mrs. Pothanszky began experiencing severe pain in her hip followed by drainage from the incision site. X-rays quickly confirmed that her hip joint had been dislocated. Mrs. Pothanszky was urgently readmitted to the hospital where her orthopedic surgeon made multiple attempts, under general anesthesia, to bring the head of the femur back to its proper location. These attempts were unsuccessful. Three days later, again under general anesthesia, the orthopedic surgeon re-opened Mrs. Pothanszky’s hip joint and accomplished the repair. But following this surgery, infection set in. Mrs. Pothanszky embarked on a months-long course of care and treatment to address numerous complications arising from that last repair surgery. Her daughters watched as their mother deteriorated before their eyes. On April 30, 2020, Mrs. Pothanszky died from complications of severe sepsis (full body infection) resulting from her infected hip joint—a tragic fate that would not have happened but for the negligence of Cambridge Manor’s nursing personnel. Before her admission to Cambridge Manor, Mrs. Pothanszky led a full and independent life together life with her husband, Vilmos, enjoying social visits with friends, playing cards, and remaining active in clubs. She leaves behind her grieving family and loving husband.
Case Stats
- This gives referring lawyers and the outside world the exact same information we use in-house for quality control. Intakes need to be accepted / declined and cases need to be resolved! Justice delayed is justice denied.
- 2022 Intake Contacts (12/31/22) 647
- 2022 Declined (12/31/22) 522
- Intakes Under Review 45 (12/31/22)
- Referred Cases from other lawyers state and nationwide 94%
- Median Time First Contact to Decline 25 days (most cases are reviewed w/ an indication of merit within 72 hours)
- Median Time First Contact to Accepted/Filed Cases 9 weeks
- Median Time Case Filing to Resolution 1.8 years
By Christina Acampora | posted on January 12th, 2021