Suit: Delays in care led to man’s burst appendix

A 64-year-old Albuquerque man contends in a lawsuit that delays in his care led to a ruptured appendix followed by a lengthy stay at Presbyterian Hospital in 2011.

James C. Jones contends he arrived at the Presbyterian emergency room at 11:21 a.m. Dec. 23, 2011, and was transferred to a surgical unit at 6:45 p.m. that day, where surgeons found his appendix had ruptured, according to the lawsuit filed in 2nd Judicial District Court.

Jones alleges his appendix ruptured sometime after he arrived at the emergency room, requiring him to remain in the hospital for 19 days with an infection and bowel obstruction, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit, filed against Presbyterian Healthcare System, seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. A Presbyterian spokeswoman said the system does not comment on pending litigation.

Jones first visited a Presbyterian urgent care at 10:25 a.m., where a physician assistant found he had severe pain in his abdomen and transferred him to the emergency room, according to the lawsuit.

The suit contends the ruptured appendix could have been avoided had Jones been transferred directly to a surgical unit, rather than to the emergency room.
— This article appeared on page C2 of the Albuquerque Journal