Minnesota LPN Found Negligent in Resident Death
Eighty-five year old Paul Reuter, Jr. began showing significant changes in respiration early in the morning on September 30, 2009. Reuter, a resident of Littlefork Medical Center, a Minnesota nursing home facility, died around 5:00 a.m. that day.
A licensed practical nurse at the facility, who remains unnamed and is still employed at the facility, discovered Reuter's low oxygen levels around 12:40 a.m. She failed to consult a registered nurse before connecting him to supplemental oxygen, which appeared to be helping Mr. Reuter's oxygen levels to rise. She checked him twice more, at one hour intervals, before finding him dead at 5:00 a.m.
According to the investigative report, although trained on the proper procedures to follow, the LPN failed to follow established facility procedure when the resident's condition began to deteriorate. When questioned why she did not follow procedure, the LPN said she thought the RN would tell her to put oxygen on the resident and monitor him. She did not believe she neglected the resident.
The LPN was suspended for five days without pay and was disciplined. She was also required to re-train on appropriate reporting and watch a video on critical thinking.
