Carl Junction couple files malpractice lawsuit against Mercy Joplin, Pediatrics Associates of Southwest Missouri

A Carl Junction couple filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against Mercy Joplin and Pediatrics Associates of Southwest Missouri Wednesday in Jasper County Circuit Court, claiming their 2-year-old child suffered needlessly due to negligence and misdiagnoses at the facilities.

Brandi and Ethan McLaughlin and the child are the plaintiffs.

The lawsuit claims that the child's condition worsened and that by the time he was properly diagnosed at Cox South Hospital, Springfield, and was operated on at St. Louis Children's Hospital he had suffered needless pain, prolonged suffering and will have future problems related to the alleged misdiagnoses.

The allegations against the medical facilities are detailed in the petition:

On or about August 17, 2023, H.M. presented to Pediatric Associates with a chief complaint of vomiting excessively for several days and abdominal pain. He was assessed medically by NP Amy Sloan, who did not find any abdominal abnormalities on exam. She presecribed Zofran and gentle foods. 

H.M. continued to experience intermittent but persistent abdominal pain and vomiting. These symptoms progressed so that by January 10, 2024, he was having painful defecation and worsening abdominal pain and vomiting. 

H.M. returned to Pediatric Associates on Jan 10, where NP Bridges assessed him medically, noting upon exam that he had generalized tenderness, hypoactive bowel sounds and dullness to percussion. She ordered an abdominal x ray. 

On January 10, 2024, H.M. presented to Mercy Hospital Joplin, where an abdominal x-ray was performed and then interpreted by Dr. Jeremy Jagoda, M.D., who diagnosed the 29 month old child with severe constipation. 

In reality, the abdominal x-ray revealed a diaphragmatic hernia that Dr. Jagoda failed to diagnose or report out. 

On February 23, 2024, H.M. returned to Pediatric Associates for his 30 month wellness visit, at which time NP Bridges reviewed the information from the January office visit. The medical records from this visit do not reveal whether she reviewed the abdominal x-ray from January 10 or whether she did any follow-up regarding the x-ray between January 10 and February 23. She did learn, however, from H.M.’s mother that he continued to have abdominal pain, loss of appetite, change in his bowel habits and intermittent vomiting. NP’s abdominal exam noted only normal findings. 

On July 31, 2024, Brandi McLaughlin returned to Pediatric Associates with H.M., with chief complaints of nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, chills, decreased appetite, weakness and fatigue. He was assessed medically NP Sloan, whose exam revealed abdominal tenderness, abnormal bowel sounds and hypoactive bowel sounds. She checked H.M.’s glucose and noted it was normal at 90. She told Brandi McLaughlin upon discharge that if H.M. was unable to keep liquids down to go the emergency department that night. 

At or around 1938 hours, H.M. presented with his parents to Mercy, where he was found at triage to have critically high heart rate (197) and respiration rate (35) with hypotension (111/77). He was admitted to the emergency department with an acuity level 2 (emergency condition). Dr. Ethan Reznicek, M.D., was assigned to provide medical assessment and care. 

Multiple lab tests were ordered. H.M. remained tachycardic, tachypneic, hypotensive – all progressively revealing signs of sepsis and septic shock. Despite the fact that H.M. had clear signs of an acute abdomen and a glucose level just the day before of 90, Dr. Reznicek misdiagnosed the condition as D.K.A.

When questioned about this diagnosis by Ethan McLaughlin, H.M.’s father, Dr. Reznicek said: “I’m the doctor. If I had to bet a million dollars on him having any other type of sickness than being diabetic, I’d be a millionaire three times over.” 

Dr. Reznicek planned to administer insulin to the child but was persuaded to first contact a pediatric nephrologist with Cox Hospital in Springfield, who advised against administering insulin and recommended transfer to that facility. 

Hours passed at Mercy (1938 to 0103 on August 1) before transfer was made. H.M.’s heart rate spiked into the critically high 220s. His respiration rate was as high as 80. His blood pressures became increasingly hypotensive (94/69). He had metabolic acidosis. All this while, the medical evidence available at Mercy showed that he had an acute abdomen. 

Soon after transfer to Cox Hospital in Springfield, H.M. was diagnosed with an acute abdomen from a perforated bowel, sepsis and septic shock. He was emergently transferred to St. Louis Children’s Hospital, where he was taken emergently to the operating room for closure of a gastric perforation, exploration and wash out. 

During the surgery on August 1, 2024, H.M. was found to have gangrenous bowel, peritonitis, and a gastric perforation from what had likely been an incarcerated hiatal hernia.

 

Upon review of the imaging from January 2024, H.M.’s parents were advised by doctors at St. Louis Children that their son had a clear diaphragmatic hernia apparent on the earlier imaging. Had the diaphragmatic hernia been diagnosed and treated earlier, as the standard of care required, H.M. would have avoided the months of abdominal pain and vomiting, the perforation, the peritonitis, sepsis and septic shock, the need for intubation and the prolonged hospitalization.

The McLaughlins, who are represented by Joplin attorney Roger Johnson of Johnson, Vorhees and Martucci, are asking for "fair and reasonable damages" and costs, and are asking for a jury trial.