Maryland Medical Malpractice Lawyer Blog
What Is IV Extravasation?
An IV, short for “intravenous,” is a familiar medical device used by doctors and nurses to administer various medications and other fluids to patients by inserting a needle or tube directly into the patient’s vein. Once the IV is inserted into the vein, it typically is taped to the skin to prevent it from moving or otherwise coming loose. If an IV becomes dislodged from the vein but stays under the patient’s skin, the medication being dispensed can be harmful to the surrounding tissue. This is called an IV extravasation.
Propane Vaporizer Negligence
Propane vaporizers are mechanical devices that convert liquid propane (LPG) to propane gas. Essentially, a propane vaporizer is a boiler that heats the liquid propane to the point where the propane turns to gas.
Wrongful Birth Cases
A wrongful birth medical malpractice case alleges that a heath care provider such as a doctor (such as an OBGYN or radiologist), hospital or laboratory was negligent by failing to properly inform a pregnant mother that her fetus had some serious medical condition, so that the mother would have had an opportunity to terminate the pregnancy.
Missed Aortic Dissection Results in Death, $2.9m Medical Malpractice Verdict
A Salt Lake City jury last month awarded $2.9 million to the family of a 55 year-old man who died after physicians failed to diagnose and treat a life-threatening heart condition. After developing chest pains one evening – which quickly spread to his abdomen – the man presented to a clinic where he was seen by a Physician’s Assistant (PA). The PA diagnosed him with constipation and discharged him with instructions to drink a bottle of over-the-counter magnesium citrate and take a suppository.
Two-Week Medical Malpractice Jury Trial Results in $46.5 Million Verdict to Child
After two weeks of testimony, a medical malpractice jury in Arkansas awarded $46.5 million to a toddler whose family alleged that her doctors’ negligence resulted in catastrophic and irreversible brain damage. The family alleged that the doctors failed to properly manage and treat the newborn baby’s jaundice following birth which led to the development of kernicterus in the child’s brain. Kernicterus is a rare brain damage that occurs in a newborn experiencing severe jaundice. It can be prevented by treating jaundice early.
Failure to Diagnose Wilson’s Disease Results in $29 Million Medical Malpractice Verdict
A Missouri jury awarded close to $29 million this week to a then-college athlete whose rare genetic disorder went undiagnosed beginning in 2012, leaving her with devastating injuries. The woman, who now is 24 years old, alleged that she went to her doctor in 2012 with complaints of fatigue, tremors, gait issues, insomnia, difficulty concentrating, crying spells and panic attacks. Her doctor diagnosed her with anxiety and declined to prescribe any diagnostic testing. Eight months later, after her symptoms worsened, the woman and her mother implored the doctor for more testing. An MRI of her brain demonstrated that the woman was suffering from Wilson’s disease.
$13.375 Million Awarded to Triple Amputee in Medical Malpractice Case
After a 54 year-old woman had to have amputations of both of her legs above the knees, her left arm below the elbow, and fingers from her right hand, she sued the healthcare providers in South Carolina whom she believed to be responsible. The lawsuit alleged that the doctors failed to recognize that the woman was delving deep into deep septic shock.
Jury Awards $45.8 Million in Post-Childbirth Brain Damage Malpractice Case
After eight days of testimony and fifteen hours of deliberations, an Atlanta jury this week awarded $45.8 million to a woman who suffered catastrophic and irreversible brain damage just days after giving birth. Three days after her child’s birth, the woman suffered a heart attack while undergoing x-rays. Although she was able to be resuscitated, she was without oxygen for approximately ten minutes and suffered an anoxic brain injury that has rendered her unable to care for herself in any meaningful way.
Pennsylvania Jury Awards $14.5 Million to Child Born With Cerebral Palsy
A jury in a medical malpractice case tried in federal court has awarded $14.5 million to a young boy who suffered catastrophic injuries, including cerebral palsy, during birth. The lawsuit alleged that the healthcare providers involved negligently guided the mother through labor, prescribing a drug – Pitocin – that sped up the delivery process to a rate at which the child did not have sufficient time to recover and oxygenate between contractions. The Plaintiffs’ position was that when the fetal heart monitor began to demonstrate that the child was being deprived of oxygen the administration of Pitocin should have been terminated. The evidence also demonstrated that the hospital’s written rules prohibited use of Pitocin in cases where the mother is dilating, making progress in the labor process and experiencing strong contractions.
Montgomery County, Maryland Jury Awards $1 Million in Medical Negligence Case
After a five-day trial last week, a jury in Montgomery County, Maryland awarded $1 million a man who permanently lost vision in one eye following surgery. The man went to a local eye clinic in December of 2014 with pre-existing conditions that left him at a higher risk of developing increased ocular pressure. However, he was not prescribed any eye pressure medication. The clinic physician diagnosed him with a detached retina and scheduled him for surgery to repair it.
Failure to Diagnose Meningitis Results in $10 Million Medical Malpractice Verdict
Last year, an Alabama jury awarded $10 million to the family of a young boy who suffered devastating injuries after his bacterial meningitis went undetected for too long. Meningitis is an infection of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. When caused by bacteria, the condition is referred to as bacterial meningitis.
Botched Procedure Results In Blindness, $5 Million Jury Verdict
A New Hampshire jury this month awarded $5 million to a woman after several procedures by her ophthalmologist left her legally blind. The woman had been a patient of this physician for a period of eight years. She was being treated for age-related macular degeneration, a condition that usually responds well to treatment, though it can reduce the quality of a person’s vision.
Negligence During Delivery of Baby Results in $30.5 Million Jury Verdict
Late last month, a Georgia jury awarded $30.5 million to the family of a child who suffered a catastrophic brain injury while being delivered. The child’s mother presented to her OB-GYN for a regularly-scheduled visit at 35 weeks, where a non-stress test was performed and found to be non-reactive. A few days after that scheduled visit, the mother returned for an unscheduled visit with a chief complaint of reduced or absent fetal movement. A second non-stress test was again non-reactive and an ultrasound demonstrated possibility of reversal end diastolic blood flow, a severe condition that results from an increase in resistance to blood flow within the placenta.
Birth Injury Results in $28.7 Million Medical Malpractice Jury Verdict
Last year, a judge in an Ohio medical malpractice case awarded $24.9 million to a child born with cerebral palsy and to his parents. According to the lawsuit, the boy, born in 2010, suffered a deprivation of oxygen during his birth. The family alleged that the signs and symptoms of fetal distress were not recognized or acted upon in a timely fashion, despite the use of a fetal heart monitor. The lack of oxygen resulted in a severe and irreversible brain injury that caused developmental delays and inability to function as a normal child.