Respiratory Therapist Failure to Seek Help for Opioid-Induced Apnea


Mark Clore prosecuted successfully another patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump opioid-death case, where the evidence of respiratory depression was first seen by a respiratory therapist instead of nursing staff. In this case, it was alleged that the hospital’s respiratory therapy department was contacted for a patient’s breathing difficulty while he was receiving periodic PCA opioid doses (when pressing the PCA button), but that the patient was still awake and talking. It was also alleged that when a respiratory therapist came by thereafter to give the patient a breathing treatment, the patient was unresponsive and/or had periods of apnea (not breathing) but, even though the respiratory therapist recorded this, he did not seek emergency assistance. The patient died, and Mark Clore successfully obtained a confidential settlement for the family on the basis of delayed and improper care.

Clore Law Group, LLC is proud of the results our attorneys have achieved, but any prior results achieved on behalf of one client in one matter does not necessarily indicate, and cannot be relied upon to mean, that similar results can be obtained for other clients.

Contact Us

Clore Law Group welcomes your questions about any issues concerning a serious personal injury, car accident, medical malpractice, nursing home neglect, business tort, or workplace injury. If you have a viable claim, we’ll explain the legal process. Since consultations are always free, there’s no cost in learning your legal options.