Damage claim filed against Samaritan

Moses Lake man alleges improper care

MOSES LAKE - A claim for over $500,000 in damages was recently filed against Samaritan Healthcare after a Moses Lake woman died during arm surgery in 2007.

Ruth Dormaier was first brought to Samaritan on Sept. 15, 2007, after she fell in her Moses Lake home and fractured her elbow, the complaint states.

Her husband's Spokane-based attorney Greg Casey estimated she was 89 before her death.

Her husband, Lourence Dormaier, alleges she shouldn't have been discharged from the emergency room because she was at a "high risk for development of pulmonary emboli," according to the complaint.

Pulmonary emboli happens when an artery in one's lung becomes blocked, according to the Mayo Clinic's Web site.

Ruth Dormaier was sent home and returned to Samaritan five days later for surgery on her right arm.

The claim alleges she was in "significant respiratory distress" during the days before her surgery. The family reportedly "voiced concerns" about her distress, but staff went ahead with the surgery.

Ruth Dormaier reportedly experienced an acute cardiac arrest while in surgery and died from multiple pulmonary emboli. According to her autopsy, the emboli was reportedly present several days before her death, the complaint states.

Lourence Dormaier declined to comment on Friday when contacted by the Columbia Basin Herald.

Cases against public entities must be filed as claims before they become lawsuits, Casey said.

Samaritan Healthcare is considered a public entity and was organized as Grant County Public Hospital District No. 1, according to Samaritan's Web site.

Samaritan's President and CEO John White released the following prepared statement.

"Samaritan Hospital's physicians and staff are saddened by the death of Ruth Dormaier and express our sympathy to her family and friends on their loss."

"As a result of her death, Samaritan conducted a full root-cause analysis to evaluate the quality and safety of care provided in order to learn from this case and apply what we learned to improve our processes."

"Our review concluded that Ms. Dormaier's death, which was confirmed by autopsy as caused by pulmonary emboli, was not due to substandard medical practice but to the natural course of events."

"Pulmonary embolism is a serious but rare complication of injuries of this type and difficult to prevent, particularly in patients requiring surgery."