Here’s what to know about that wrongful-death lawsuit filed against PeaceHealth

The family of a 62-year-old Ketchikan woman who died at St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham has filed a federal wrongful-death lawsuit against PeaceHealth. The suit alleges a cascade of transfer failures between hospitals led to Kathleen Zamudio’s death from aortic dissection in June 2024.

FULL STORY: Lawsuit alleges transfer failures led to patient’s death at Bellingham hospital

Here are key takeaways:

• Kathleen Zamudio, 62, died on June 23, 2024, of cardiac arrest and aortic dissection after being transferred from PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center to St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham.
• The lawsuit alleges the Ketchikan doctor failed to consult EMS records, run certain tests or consider aortic dissection before recommending the transfer.
• No cardiothoracic surgeon at St. Joseph had accepted the transfer when Zamudio was loaded for transport, which the suit calls a “critical failure.”
• When Zamudio arrived in Bellingham after midnight, no surgeon was available. Her heart rate dropped while an emergency physician searched for an available surgeon at nearby hospitals.
• PeaceHealth said it is “deeply saddened” by Zamudio’s death but cannot comment on pending legal matters. The suit accuses the system of violating the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.