Kennedy Terminal Ulcer

Legal Medicine: CRIMINAL CHARGES IN VIRGINIA: WHAT IS A KENNEDY ...

Dan Frith and Lauren Ellerman of the Frith Law Firm in Roanoke, VA represent victims of medical malpractice and nursing home abuse in VA, West VA, and eastern TN and are happy to announce the creation of Legal Medicine. This blog is focused on information important to patients and their families. We plan to provide medical resources, information, and discussion on topics relative to medical malpractice and nursing home abuse litigation. Please also visit our website at: www.frithlawfirm.com Apparently, the dismissal of the abuse charge hinged on the testimony of Joy Schank, a nurse practitioner and wound specialist from Himrod, N.Y., who was paid $2,500 for her testimony. Schank testified that the bone-deep bedsores found on Wynn's body were in fact something called a Kennedy Terminal Ulcer , a condition where near the end of a patient's life the skin begins to unavoidably deteriorate. We have faced the Kennedy Terminal Ulcer Defense before in our nursing home abuse cases....even deposed Nurse Kennedy herself. In our opinion the Kennedy Terminal Ulcer defense is a fraud. The argument goes like this: "If you have an ulcer or pressure sore and die as a result of complications from the ulcer/pressure sore then the ulcer was a Kennedy Terminal Ulcer and the patient was doomed to die quickly regardless of the poor care he/she received. If the patient survives the ulcer then it was not a Kennedy Terminal Ulcer... but you cannot diagnose whether the ulcer/sore is a Kennedy Terminal Ulcer until you wait to see if the patient dies. This Blog/Web Site is made available by Frith & Ellerman for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding of the law. Our purpose is not to provide specific legal advice. By using this blog site you understand that there is no attorney client relationship between you and the Blog/Web Site publisher.