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Mother in grief blames doctors

She complains to the state after her 10-year-old son bled to death after a transplant.

By CAMILLE C. SPENCER
Published December 23, 2006

ADVERTISEMENT [Times photo: Brendan Fitterer] Kim and Dennis Robinstein hug near the body of their son Terran, 10, during his home funeral in Port Richey.

PORT RICHEY - A woman whose 10-year-old son died after a seven-organ transplant in September has filed a complaint alleging the hospital was responsible for his death.

Kim Robinstein of Port Richey filed the complaint Oct. 25 with the state's Agency for Health Care Administration regarding her son Terran, who bled to death Sept. 24 at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami after the grafts and tubes that kept his body working fell apart.

Robinstein's complaint prompted a review by the state agency that regulates hospitals.

Next month, 25 AHCA officials will visit the 1,498-bed hospital, agency spokeswoman Cristal Cole said. If the agency finds any shortcomings, the hospital will have a few months to fix the problems to keep its license in good standing.

Because of hospital overcrowding, Robinstein's complaint says, Terran was placed in a regular room that wasn't equipped with the proper tools for his care. Robinstein said Terran should have been in the intensive care unit.

The complaint also says Terran, who had a severe latex allergy, was exposed to powder from latex gloves that were thrown in the trash can near his bed after they had been used on other patients. The latex caused Terran to have rashes, Robinstein said.

Robinstein said she filed the complaint after receiving a copy of Terran's death certificate, which says the boy died of "hypovolemic shock," a condition caused by severe blood loss.

"The day Terran died, we wondered what happened," she said.

So Robinstein took her questions straight to the top. She sent an e-mail to Gov. Jeb Bush that was forwarded to the AHCA.

A federal agency is also looking at the hospital.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid sent a letter to the hospital Wednesday notifying officials of "deficiencies," said Lee Millman, spokeswoman for the agency. Millman said she did not know what the deficiencies were or if they were related to Robinstein's complaint.

A hospital official confirmed Thursday that the hospital had received the letter, but chief medical officer Gerard Kaiser declined to comment Friday, saying he hadn't read it.

Meanwhile, Robinstein faces about $95,000 in medical bills as she mourns for her son.

Terran, who had Hirschsprung's disease, spent about seven of his 10 years in a hospital. The boy was unable to eat solid foods for most of his life. He eliminated waste through a hole in his abdomen into a bag.

In a massive transplant Sept. 3, Terran received a new small intestine, large intestine, stomach, esophagus, pancreas, liver and spleen. A week later, he lost consciousness and bled to death.

Robinstein held a home funeral for Terran. She is still reeling from the loss.

"I had to watch every single second of his death," Robinstein said. "I still have nightmares. When Terran died, my entire world left me. I have a big, deep hole and no way to fill it."

[Last modified December 23, 2006, 06:26:03]