Nephrology Expert Opines on Dialysis Patient’s Life Expectancy

Case Overview

This case takes place in Massachusetts and involves a middle-aged male patient who required hemodialysis after multiple rounds of treatment and tumor cryoablation for cancer. In addition to problems with his kidneys, he had a complex medical history with many comorbidities. At the time of the incident in question, the man was receiving treatment in the hospital, where he had been receiving heparin in order to guard against the formation of blood clots. He was walking to another location in the hospital with the assistance of hospital staff and a walker for dialysis when he tripped and fell. The patient fell to the side and struck his head on the floor, sustaining a visible laceration. Within minutes, the patient was unresponsive with fixed and dilated pupils. The injury was felt to be catastrophic and the patient would not benefit from surgery or medical therapy. The patient expired shortly thereafter. It is alleged that the patient would have lived for several decades longer, in spite of his need for dialysis, had it not been for this unfortunate accident.