Failure to Change Life Vest Battery as Ordered
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that a resident with a history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and congestive heart failure had the battery in her Life Vest changed according to the physician's order. The resident was dependent on staff for several activities of daily living and had a care plan indicating the need for Life Vest checks as ordered. The physician's order specified that the Life Vest battery should be changed every morning at 6:00 a.m. On the day of the survey, it was found that the night shift did not change the Life Vest battery at the ordered time. A Licensed Vocational Nurse stated that he only changed the battery when it beeped, indicating a low battery, rather than following the scheduled order. The nurse acknowledged that the physician had specified the time for the battery change and that failure to do so could result in the device not monitoring the resident's heart rhythm.