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During a routine mammogram, an enlarged lymph node was found in the patient’s armpit. The patient’s primary care physician (PCP) ordered follow-up imaging and referred the patient to a surgeon for possible excisional biopsy. The surgeon suggested that the biopsy could be delayed until additional imaging studies were completed.
The patient transferred her care to another surgeon, who immediately performed the biopsy and found stage IV inoperable breast cancer. The patient underwent aggressive chemotherapy for 3 years, but died 39 months after diagnosis.
ESTATE’S CLAIM The first surgeon was negligent for not immediately performing the biopsy.
DEFENDANTS’ DEFENSE There was no negligence. An earlier biopsy would not have changed the outcome.
VERDICT A $1.5 million Massachusetts verdict was returned.
Treating bowel injury after uterine ablation
Following uterine ablation performed by a gynecologist, a 35-year-old woman suffered severe abdominal pain. Six days later, the gynecologist and a surgeon performed a hysterectomy.
Three days after discharge, the patient returned to the hospital with an abdominal infection and sepsis. During a third operation, a burn hole was found; the injured portion of bowel was resected. The patient has chronic abdominal pain.
PATIENT’S CLAIM Sepsis and infection could have been avoided if either physician had identified the injury during the second hospitalization and surgery. The patient developed psychological issues as a result of chronic pain.
DEFENDANTS’ DEFENSE A settlement was reached with the gynecologist during the trial. The surgeon denied negligence. During the second surgery, he examined her bowel for a possible injury but found none.
VERDICT A $3.5 million Illinois verdict was returned. It included
$1.5 million for past pain and suffering that was reduced by $100,000 due to the patient’s failure to report for psychological counseling. The jury found the gynecologist 65% at fault and the surgeon 35% at fault.
Mother in permanent vegetative state
When a 30-year-old woman went to a hospital in labor, she had gestational hypertension. The next morning, she suffered cardiopulmonary arrest. A healthy baby was born by emergency cesarean delivery, but the mother was left in a permanent vegetative state.
PATIENT’S CLAIM The nurses failed to ensure that the ObGyn came to the hospital and did not report blood pressure data to the ObGyn. Gestational hypertension progressed to preeclampsia. Early delivery should have been induced or magnesium sulfate should have been administered.
DEFENDANTS’ DEFENSE A confidential settlement was reached with the ObGyn before trial.
The nurses were right to rely on the ObGyn to make decisions regarding the patient’s care. They provided appropriate treatment.
VERDICT A New Jersey defense verdict was returned for the hospital.
What caused the child’s brain injuries?
After vaginal delivery, the baby was not breathing and required intubation. He had a seizure and displayed signs of oxygen deprivation, hypoxic ischemic injury, and brain damage. The child uses a special walker and can only communicate using a computer that speaks for him.
PARENTS’ CLAIM The nurses and ObGyn failed to properly assess the baby. The fetal heart-rate monitor electrode should have been placed on the fetal scalp. A cesarean delivery should have been performed.
DEFENDANTS’ DEFENSE The fetal monitor was properly placed. The child’s injury occurred 24 to 72 hours prior to birth due to an umbilical cord accident. A cesarean delivery would have not changed the outcome.
VERDICT A Georgia defense verdict was returned.
Did a woman’s vaginal infection cause her baby’s death?
At 22 weeks’ gestation, a 26-year-old woman began to leak amniotic fluid and went to the hospital. She was in premature labor. The newborn died 19 minutes after birth.
PARENTS’ CLAIM The ObGyn and nurse midwife who provided prenatal care failed to diagnose and treat a vaginal infection. The infection resulted in premature rupture of membranes, leading to premature birth and the baby’s death.
DEFENDANTS’ DEFENSE A confidential settlement was reached with the ObGyn before trial. The nurse midwife claimed the patient did not have a vaginal infection; she never reported symptoms of a foul-smelling vaginal odor or discharge. Premature rupture of membranes was not caused by a vaginal infection. The newborn’s death was related to an umbilical cord defect, the patient’s delay in coming to the hospital, and the multiple obstetric procedures the mother had undergone before this pregnancy.
VERDICT A $456,024 New Jersey verdict was returned.
Inadvertent ligation, ureteral obstruction
A 41-year-old woman suffered pelvic pain and had a history of endometriosis. In January 2007, a CT scan revealed a ruptured ovarian cyst; her ObGyn performed laparotomy for a hysterectomy and oophorectomy.
During surgery, a resident working under the supervision of the ObGyn inadvertently ligated the left ureter. The injury was close to the bladder near the ureteral vesicle junction. A few days later, cystoscopy showed ureteral obstruction. The patient underwent operative repair with nephrostomy tube placement. In May 2007, the patient had a third operation to reimplant the ureter. She has chronic flank pain.
