Failure to Provide Prescribed Respiratory Care Due to Nonfunctional CPAP Machine
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide necessary respiratory services for a resident with obstructive sleep apnea and muscle weakness. The resident had a physician's order for the use of a CPAP machine at bedtime, but the machine was observed to be nonfunctional and not in use, with the mask found on the floor and the water chamber empty. The resident reported not using the CPAP machine for a month due to it not working and instead used an oxygen cannula at night. The DON confirmed the CPAP machine had not worked for two weeks and that the provider was notified, resulting in the resident being placed on oxygen at night. However, the order for the CPAP machine was not placed on hold, and the care plan continued to reference its use, leading to a failure in following the prescribed respiratory care regimen.