Boy’s Death Prompts Hospital to Change Discharge Procedures

The death of a 12-year-old boy from septic shock has prompted the New York hospital that treated him to change its discharge procedures, states a July 18, 2012, New York Times article. According to the article, physicians at the hospital diagnosed him with a stomach virus and discharged him from the emergency department (ED) with an elevated heart rate and fever. Following the boy’s discharge, test results became available from the laboratory that indicated he had extraordinarily high levels of cells in his blood that are associated with much more serious bacterial infections.