ST. PETERSBURG, FL. – In a Wrongful Death lawsuit filed February 21, St. Petersburg General Hospital is pressed to answer critical questions about its competence to treat heart attacks in its emergency department. It is also accused of violating Florida law by refusing to submit the complete medical records of a man who died in their care.
The lawsuit was filed by the widow of Nathaniel Hearns III, 39, who passed away on August 1, 2020. The defendants are Galen of Florida which owns St. Petersburg General Hospital, the hospital itself, Dr. Robert Grammatico, Emergency Medicine Physician, Emcare, his employer, and Tampa Bay Health System.
According to the lawsuit, Hearns arrived at St. Petersburg General Hospital’s emergency department at 7:00 a.m. or earlier with complaints of chest pain, abdominal pain, and diaphoresis, which is “sweating.” Hearns was not seen for approximately 30 minutes, at which time an echocardiogram revealed he was suffering from an ST Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction, a type of heart attack.
It is alleged there were no accessible or on-staff cardiologists to attend to Hearn’s crisis, despite the St. Petersburg General Hospital’s website declaring, “At our ER, we offer advanced, 24/7 heart attack treatment, state-of-the-art cardiac monitoring, and if necessary, surgical treatments.” Emergency Medicine Physician Dr. Grammatico provided medical leadership in unison with members of the ER staff.
With no cardiologist on site, Hearns could not receive interventional cardiological assistance or undergo an angioplasty to open up his blocked artery. Allegations are that Dr. Grammatico, instead of ensuring TPA medication was provided – the conventional treatment to help prevent sudden cardiac arrest of the patient – chose to first make telephone calls in an attempt to transfer Hearns to another hospital.
Wesley Straw, the Plaintiff’s attorney, told The Free Press, “I believe it was a gross failure by the ER doctor that without a cardiologist, he overlooked the obvious – to give TPA medication, which is the standard of care to stabilize a patient even before angioplasty.”
Straw stated he was concerned as to why Dr. Grammatico would contact the closest hospital – North Side Hospital – to attempt to transfer Hearns for immediate care – but then contacted Largo Medical Center remotely located when two larger, other hospitals were closer. It is assumed North Side Hospital could not accommodate Hearns upon request. Both St. Petersburg General Hospital and Largo Medical Center are ultimately owned by HCA West Florida.
Straw continued, “From limited medical records received, it appears Hearns wasn’t given TPA at all. In a post-death note, it reads that ‘we gave Heparin and we ordered TPA.”
The suit also states that, “Due to SPG Hospital’s substandard hospital staffing, E.D. staff members were confused about what to do for the decedent when unable to engage cardiac specialists and services for the decedent…”
Asked if it was possible that TPA medication simply didn’t arrive in time, Straw said, “It’s plausible.” But medical expert witnesses who reviewed the limited medical records supplied, reported there were factual grounds for a lawsuit.
It is anticipated Hearns’ full medical records will be available during the suit’s discovery process.
He reportedly died from cardiac arrest.
The counts against the co-defendants include “medical negligence,” “negligent staffing,” “negligence – vicarious liability” and “negligent misrepresentation.”
The Free Press reached out for comments from Dr. Grammatico, but he could not be reached.
Wesley Straw is a law partner with Emerson Straw PL, St. Petersburg.
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