TAMPA - A widow sued her deceased husband's family practice clinic and a physician's assistant for allegedly failing to identify a condition that proved to be fatal, according to documents filed March 29 in the Hillsborough County Circuit Court.
Plaintiff's husband, Thomas Beams Jr., visited his family practice clinic, defendant Anglin Medical PA, on November 26, 2018, where he saw defendant physician's assistant Brandy E. Dumas for chills, fever, sweats, headache and ear pain, the suit says.
Dumas allegedly failed to realize the symptoms were indicative of infectious endocarditis, an infection of the surface of the heart, due to Beams' heart history. The decedent was sent home with a prescription.
Beams visited the clinic again four days later because the symptoms had worsened. After ordering an x-ray, Dumas placed Beams on an antibiotic.
The decedent went to the emergency room on December 1 because his symptoms continued to worsen. In the ER, he was diagnosed with endocarditis and sepsis. Beams died on December 3.
Plaintiff Jennifer Beams sues the defendants for negligence and vicarious liability. She is represented by Weston F. Smith of St. Petersburg.