This case takes place in Delaware and involves a 13-year-old female with no significant past medical history. She presented to her pediatricians office with complaints of severe abdominal pain and discomfort. She was seen by a Nurse Practitioner who prescribed an adult-strength laxative, prior to ruling out appendicitis. The patient returned home and administered the laxative. Several hours later, the patient’s appendix ruptured and she was taken to the hospital. A life-threatening incident, this condition required immediate surgery to remove the appendix and clean her abdominal cavity. In addition to the immediate and acute danger, she has suffered from a host of complications as a result of the ruptured appendix.
Question(s) For Expert Witness
1. Do you have any specific knowledge on the effects of prescribing an adult-strength laxative to a pediatric patient with acute appendicitis?
2. Is it likely that this prescription aggravated the girl’s condition?
3. Have you ever treated a child with acute appendicitis / or a child who has suffered from a ruptured appendix?
Expert Witness Response E-007322
The laxative should have never been prescribed, and there are a number of reasons why. There are steps that should have been taken to ensure that this patient warranted a laxative - which clearly weren't taken - and since appendicitis wasn't ruled out, it was a dangerous decision to prescribe this young woman a laxative. The laxative obviously aggravated the appendix and caused it to rupture far sooner than it would have otherwise.
About the author
Michael Morgenstern
Michael is Senior Vice President of Marketing at The Expert Institute. Michael oversees every aspect of The Expert Institute’s marketing strategy including SEO, PPC, marketing automation, email marketing, content development, analytics, and branding.
