MEDICAL MALPRACTICE Vol. 15 Issue 7 • December 2017 D elayed Treatment CASES of NOTE Failure to administer Failure to Test — Delayed Diagnosis California Decision to place patient on Coumadin was appropriate: doc .........5 blood thinner led to leg amputation: suit Failure to Detect — Failure to Treat — Surgical Error District of Columbia Urology patient: Improper procedure led to nerve damage...........10 Verdict $40,000,000 P ost-Operative Care — Negligent Treatment Illinois Actual $61,606,575 Patient suffered fatal pulmonary embolism weeks after surgery.......13 Sfameni v. Ryan D iabetic Care — Hospital — Wrongful Death Maryland Failure to monitor patient’s sodium level led to death: suit ..........22 Providence and Bristol Counties, Superior Court, R.I. Failure to Diagnose — Failure to Monitor Michigan Estate: Doctors failed to detect and treat deadly embolism ..........23 Plaintiff’s Attorney Michael P. Quinn, Jr.; Decof, Decof & Barry, PC; Providence, R.I. D elayed Diagnosis — Delayed Treatment — Eye Surgery New Jersey D efense Attorneys Brian A. Fielding and Delayed diagnosis led to loss of eye, patient contended .............25 Jennifer Boyd Herlihy; Adler Cohen Harvey Wakeman & Guekguezian LLP; Providence, R.I. Surgical Error — Oral Surgery New York Dental implant caused blinding injury, plaintiff claimed ............29 Full report on page 39 E mergency Room — Failure to Communicate Ohio Failure to follow instructions led to hysterectomy, per defense .......34 Failure to Diagnose — Failure to Treat Pennsylvania Patient had heart attack, not mesenteric ischemia: doctors ..........37 25% OFF VERDICTSEARCH when you submit a case. VERDICTSEARCH MEDICAL MALPRACTICE TABLE OF CONTENTS CALIFORNIA DELAYED DIAGNOSIS OHIO Delayed Treatment FAILURE TO TEST EmERGENCY ROOM Verdict Defense ...........................................................21 Delayed Diagnosis Failure to Communicate Verdict Defense .............................................................5 DIABETIC CARE Verdict Defense ...........................................................34 Hospital PRESCRIPTION AND MEDICATION PRESCRIPTION AND MEDICATION Mixed Verdict $2,459,304 ............................................22 Premature Discharge Wrongful Death Verdict Defense .............................................................7 Decision Defense .........................................................35 MI CHIGAN CONNECTICUT FAILURE TO DIAGNOSE PENNSYLVANIA DELAYED DIAGNOSIS Failure to Monitor BREAST CANCER Failure to Diagnose Verdict $40,000,000 ....................................................23 Cancer Diagnosis Verdict Defense .............................................................9 Verdict $375,000 .........................................................36 NEW JERSEY DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA FAILURE TO DIAGNOSE UNNECESSARY PROCEDURE Failure to Treat FAILURE TO DETECT Surgical Error Failure to Treat Verdict Defense ...........................................................37 Verdict $1,200,000 ......................................................24 Verdict $8,000,000 ......................................................10 DELAYED DIAGNOSIS DELAYED DIAGNOSIS Delayed Treatment GEORGIA Delayed Treatment Verdict Defense ...........................................................38 Settlement $900,000 ..................................................25 UROLOGICAL SURGERY Prescription and Medication POST-OpERATIVE CARE RHODE ISLAND Verdict Defense ...........................................................11 Delayed Treatment DELAYED TREATMENT Verdict Defense ...........................................................27 ILLINOIS Failure to Treat FAILURE TO TEST Verdict $40,000,000 ....................................................39 POST-OpERATIVE CARE Failure to Treat Negligent Treatment SOUTH CAROLINA Verdict Defense ...........................................................13 Settlement $1,000,000 ...............................................28 PLASTIC SURGEON FAILURE TO COmmUNICATE NEW YORK Informed Consent Failure to Treat Verdict $39,300............................................................41 Verdict Defense ...........................................................14 SURGICAL ERROR Oral Surgery FAILURE TO DETECT Settlement $2,000,000 ...............................................29 Failure to Test ET AL... Settlement $600,000 ..................................................15 NEGLIGENT TREATMENT Attorney Services Directory .........................................42 Verdict Defense ...........................................................30 SURGICAL ERROR Index ............................................................................44 Anesthesiology SURGICAL ERROR Verdict Defense ...........................................................17 Cosmetic Surgery DENTIST Verdict Defense ...........................................................31 Abandonment Verdict $899,614 ..........................................................19 INFECTION CONTROL Failure to Test MARYLAND Verdict Defense ...........................................................32 CORRECTION POLICY: We urge readers to report any NEUROSURGEON FAILURE TO REFER factual errors. A correction will be prominently placed in an upcoming issue. Please telephone Neurosurgery Failure to Test Tim Heinz, editor, at 212-457-9562, or send an Verdict $528,338 .........................................................20 Verdict Defense ...........................................................33 e-mail to [email protected]. December 2017 www.verdictsearch.com 3 Minimizing Risk in Lateral Partner Hiring: Effective Due Diligence Minimizing Risk in Lateral Partner Hiring: Effective Due Diligence examines the obstacles firms face when navigating the due diligence stage of the Lateral Partner Hiring Lifecycle, equipping firm leaders with practical tools for improving the objectivity and value of candidate evaluations. Report Contents Include: • Roadmap for Conducting First-Rate Due Diligence • Lateral Partner Questionnaire (LPQ) Framework • Book of Business Portability Evaluation Worksheet Visit at.alm.com/minimizingrisk to learn more. almlegalintel.com VERDICTSEARCH MEDICAL MALPRACTICE CALIFORNIA CALIFORNIA a CT scan of the head revealed blood in the right frontal subarachnoid space. The attending physician at Kaiser had intended to FAILURE TO TEST anticoagulate Prajapati with intravenous Heparin, an Delayed Diagnosis anticoagulant, and aspirin in response to the atrial fibrillation with a rapid ventricular response. However, when she Decision to place patient on learned about the blood in the right frontal subarachnoid space, the physician held anticoagulation and consulted Coumadin was appropriate: doc with a neurosurgeon, Dr. Tina Lin, who recommended a CT scan be repeated to confirm the presence of the blood VERDICT D efense in the right frontal subarachnoid space. The repeat CT scan was performed on April 26, 2013, and the same finding was CASE Vimlaben Prajapati and Babubhai Prajapati present. As a result, Prajapati was transferred to AHMC v. Kyoung A. Kim, M.D., and AHMC Anaheim Regional Medical Center the next day and went Anaheim Regional Medical Center, back under the care of Kim. No. 30-2014-00720524-CU-MM-CJC Even though the records at Kaiser indicated that the COURT Superior Court of Orange County, information regarding blood being seen in the right, frontal Orange, CA subarachnoid space had accompanied Prajapati to AHMC JUDGE Ronald L. Bauer Anaheim Regional Medical Center at the time of transfer, Kim DE AT 10/17/2017 placed Prajapati on Coumadin. Subsequent treaters requested for consultation by Kim diagnosed Prajapati with presumed PLAINTIFF endocarditis. However, Prajapati remained on Coumadin ATTORNEY(S) T. Gabriel Houston, Hodes Milman at the time of discharge, on May 3, 2013, even after the Liebeck, LLP, Irvine, CA additional diagnosis of presumed endocarditis was reached. D EFENSE On May 6, 2013, Prajapati suffered a massive intracerebral ATTORNEY(S) Sidney J. Martin, Schmid & Voiles, hemorrhage and stroke. She was taken to St. Joseph’s Orange, CA (Kyoung A. Kim) Hospital of Orange for treatment following her severe Terrence J. Schafer, Doyle Schafer hemorrhagic stroke. The treating neurologist at St. Joseph’s McMahon, LLP, Irvine, CA (Chest and documented her suspicion that a ruptured mycotic aneurysm Critical Care Consultants) caused the stroke, given Prajapati’s history of bacteremia. None reported (AHMC Anaheim Regional Prajapati initially sued Kim and AHMC Anaheim Regional Medical Center, Beena Shah, Glenn Medical Center. She then amended her complaint to include K. Morinishi, Harinder Gogia, Kaiser the operators of the Kaiser hospital in Anaheim, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc., Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc., Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, Foundation Hospitals, Mohammad Farukhi, and Southern California Permanente Medical. Prajapati Sami Shoukair, Southern California then amended her complaint again to include Kim’s medical Permanente Medical) office, Chest and Critical Care Consultants, and five other individuals that had treated her. Prajapati alleged that the F ACTS & ALLEGATIONS On April 1, 2013, plaintiff defendants failed to properly treat her and that this failure Vimlaben Prajapati, 68, a disabled woman who had a history constituted medical malpractice. of hypertension and diabetes, was admitted to AHMC The Kaiser defendants, AHMC Anaheim Regional Anaheim Regional Medical Center, in Anaheim, with a Medical Center, and several of the