Oroville doctors accused of malpractice resulting in death



An Oroville woman is suing two doctors at Oroville Hospital claiming drugs they prescribed led to her son’s death. The case will be reviewed by a judge on Friday.

Carol Shaffer is suing Linda Lay and Angela Quang for malpractice after the death of Shaffer’s son, John Andrew Matteri. The doctors’ lawyers are working to dissolve Shaffer’s complaint based on Matteri’s status as a dependent adult.

According to Shaffer’s complaint, the defendants are being sued because Shaffer claims that they wrongfully prescribed Relistor and Narcan to relieve Matteri’s constipation.

Matteri suffered from chronic constipation before he was admitted for inpatient knee surgery, according to court records. He had a successful surgery and was recovering in the hospital when a bowel obstruction caused him to begin vomiting.

When Quang learned that Matteri had a bowel obstruction and was vomiting, she prescribed Relistor to relieve his constipation without examining him.  After the dose was given, Matteri continued to vomit. When this occurred, Lay prescribed Narcan. Matteri then produced 2-3 liters of vomit. He choked, was intubated, and died. His death was potentially linked to aspiration, according to his death summary.

Shaffer claims that Relistor and Narcan contributed to Matteri’s death. According to the National Library of Medicine, both drugs can cause nausea and vomiting.

Relistor is used to relieve constipation caused by narcotics such as codeine and morphine. The drug’s packaging warns against using Relistor if the patient has a bowel obstruction, according to its website. Relistor should not be used in a case such as Matteri’s, according to the complaint.

Narcan is primarily used to combat an overdose caused by narcotics like morphine and codeine. Similar to Relistor, the complaint alleges that Narcan shouldn’t have been prescribed to Matteri.

The doctors are claiming that Shaffer didn’t adequately plead dependent adult abuse in her complaint against them, according to court records.  In her reply to the complaint, Quang notes that she was not a “care custodian” and can’t be found liable for dependent adult abuse. Lay notes that she is immune to liability because of her role in emergency care, according to court records.


The case will be reviewed by Judge Michael Candela on Friday at 9 a.m. in Chico.    


Photo Credit: Oroville Hospital Facebook page

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