Woman’s heirs claim nurses gave her morphine despite allergy

A medical malpractice lawsuit claims a 77-year-old woman died after nurses gave her morphine despite a documented allergy to the pain medication.

Sandra Mount was admitted to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in November 2023 after a fall at home left her with a fractured hip, according to a lawsuit filed Friday by attorney Andrew Thomas on behalf of Mount’s two sons, described as Nevada residents.

Sunrise Hospital could not immediately be reached for comment.

After surgery, medical records showed that the incision on Mount’s left outer hip was “dressed appropriately,” the lawsuit states. Still, within days, she developed an infected bedsore near her tailbone — a wound that can result from prolonged pressure, poor blood flow and friction.

The complaint alleges that the wound resulted from the negligence of Sunrise Hospital staff. Nurses failed to turn and reposition Mount every two hours, waited a week to provide a special mattress, and did not keep her wounds clean and protected.

Staff then discharged Mount to a nursing facility for rehabilitation, an act the lawsuit describes as “patient dumping.” Patient dumping is the improper discharge of a patient viewed as too costly or inconvenient. The next day, Mount was sent back to Sunrise with sepsis, a severe body-wide infection.

The lawsuit alleges that across the two hospital stays, Sunrise nurses gave Mount morphine through her IV on seven separate occasions. However, Mount was allergic to morphine, and it was documented on her medical chart. Her chart also indicated a history of gout, gastric reflux, hypertension and mild renal insufficiency, according to the suit.

From the time she was admitted, the complaint alleges, Mount also wore a colored wristband that flagged parts of her medical history, including her morphine allergy.

A nursing expert cited in the lawsuit said Mount already was taking several medications that can cause decreased responsiveness and that potent narcotics such as morphine require close, careful monitoring.

“When patients have a documented medication allergy, a thorough and methodic assessment should be done with extreme caution, following proper protocols … before any attempt to administer the medication,” registered nurse Michele Wolff stated. “Giving morphine to a patient with a known allergy who has increased risk of complications due to multiple pain medications is below the standard of care for nurses.”

The lawsuit states that another expert reached a similar conclusion about Mount’s bedsore, saying that breaches of the nursing standard of care caused the wound and Mount’s sepsis.

Thomas alleges that the care Mount received was an “outrageous and reckless failure” and contributed to her death on Jan. 4, 2024. Her death certificate lists her cause of death as lung and heart failure caused by brain failure, which in turn was caused by sepsis from bacteria in her blood and long-term ulcers.

Mount’s children and her estate seek more than $15,000 in damages, including medical and funeral expenses. They also seek damages for grief, sorrow and loss of companionship.