Beleaguered diagnostics company Theranos has been hit with another lawsuit, this time from a patient claiming that an inaccurate blood test resulted in medical decisions that triggered a heart attack. It’s at least the ninth civil suit filed against the onetime Silicon Valley darling, according to Ars Technica.
According to the suit, filed as a class action in federal court in Phoenix, a man identified only as “R.C.” suffered a heart attack less than a month after a Theranos blood test showed “clear” blood-sugar and lipid levels. The results caused the man’s cardiologist to recommend no changes to his medications.
Changes in Nurse Staffing Answer Clinician Demands
The ongoing nursing shortage facilitates high turnover rates since nurses know they won’t have difficulties finding new jobs. In order to retain and attract staff, it’s in a facility’s best interest to understand what nurses want.
The heart attack caused the man to need two stents and a hospitalization.
“Additional blood work performed during his hospitalization strongly suggested that the near-contemporaneous Theranos blood test was inaccurate and that R.C. and his cardiologist’s reliance on the Theranos’ test results was potentially inaccurate or even harmful,” the suit said.
The lawsuit also named former Theranos partner Walgreens as a defendant. The plaintiff had his blood test performed at a Theranos testing center inside an Arizona Walgreens store.
Photo: Flickr user Brian Turner