CHARLESTON – A widower has sued a board certified family nurse practitioner alleging she failed to properly diagnose the woman’s stroke symptoms before her death.
Randy S. Shamblin, as personal representative for the estate of Lisa K. Shamblin, filed his complaint May 29 in Kanawha Circuit Court against Megan A. Perraut FNP BC.
According to the complaint, Lisa Shamblin went to Charleston Internal Medicine on October 10, 2023, with complaints of vomiting, diarrhea, fever, headache, body ache, fatigue and malaise. She told staff she had had those symptoms for about five days and that she had tested negative for both COVID and influenza.
Shamblin tested tachycardic with a resting heart rate of 110 and a fever of 102.3. Her blood pressure was 106/68, which was lower than on her past visits to the provider.
Perraut diagnosed Shamblin with dehydration, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and fever. She ordered in-office IV hydration for Shamblin, injections of Phenergan and Toradol and prescribed Promethazine suppositories. Perraut sent Shamblin home with instructions to “call or return of symptoms worsen or persist,” according to the complaint.
The next morning, Randy Shamblin saw his wife when he left for work and did not see any apparent focal deficits in her.
At about 2:30 p.m. that day, an ambulance was dispatched to the Shamblin home. Upon arrival at 3 p.m., the crew reported Lisa Shamblin had right-sided facial droop, extreme slurred speech and right extremity weakness. The crew also said she was tachycardic, febrile and had a BP of 109/57. She was taken to Charleston Area Medical Center’s emergency room.
There, she was diagnosed with MRSA bacteremia with likely endocarditis and embolic stroke. She remained at CAMC and reportedly was awaiting transfer to the Cleveland Clinic, according to the complaint.
On the evening of October 26, 2023, Shamblin had a sudden episode of decreased mental status and hypoxia. She reportedly had suffered an intercranial hemorrhage, according to the complaint.
Shamblin died October 30, 2023, at 58. Her cause of death was listed as a cerebrovascular accident secondary to endocarditis and MRSA bacteremia.
The estate accuses Perraut of professional negligence, saying she deviated from the reasonable and accepted standards of professional medical care by failing to see the significance of Shamblin’s medical presentation and for failing to immediately direct her to the ER.
Randy Shamblin and other family members say they have and will suffer sorrow, mental anguish, loss of solace, companionship, comfort, guidance, kindly offices and advice of decedent, loss of income, services, protection, care and assistance provided by Lisa Shamblin. The estate also seeks expenses related to her death as well as damages for her pain and suffering before her death. It also seeks punitive damages, pre- and post-judgment interests, court costs, attorney fees and other relief.
The estate is being represented by L. Dante diTrapano and David H. Carriger of Calwell Luce diTrapano in Charleston, by W. Jesse Forbes of Forbes Law Offices in Charleston and by Dr. Richard D. Lindsay of Tabor Lindsay & Associates in Charleston. The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Tera Salango.
Kanawha Circuit Court case number 25-C-645
