Jury says hospital negligence worth $4.1 million

When Louisiana patients elect to have surgery, they expect excellent and attentive care. Many patients and their loved ones may feel that the danger of surgery is over once it has been completed, but risks still exist for the patient during recovery. Patients can suffer complications such as blood clots, bleeding, infections, pneumonia and more.  When medical professionals recognize early symptoms of any complication, patients may experience better outcomes. Sadly, a jury has recently determined that hospital negligence in the hours following one man’s surgery likely resulted in his death.

The 54-year-old man chose to have a spinal fusion surgery just before the holidays. Just hours after his surgery, he complained of difficulty swallowing, talking, breathing and pain in his neck. At his wife’s insistence, a hospital physician evaluated the patient approximately four hours after he began complaining about his symptoms. Sadly, the physician was not able to diagnose the man sooner, and he suffered a cardiac arrest.

Despite four attempts, hospital staff were not able to intubate or successfully resuscitate the patient. The man’s surgeon was notified of the patient’s complications approximately 30 minutes after the cardiac arrest began, and he was on his way to the hospital when the patient died. The jury determined the surgeon was not at fault for the man’s death, but believed the hospital staff’s negligence was worth $4.1 million and awarded that sum to the patient’s wife.

Hospital negligence often results in unnecessary harm to patients that can result in longer hospital stays, unexpected complications and, as in this case, death. Families who believe their loved one might still be alive had he or she received appropriate and timely care, may find it beneficial to speak with a personal injury attorney in Louisiana. Attorneys can inform families of their options to file a wrongful death lawsuit in civil court, which in some cases could result in financial relief for damages incurred.

Source: dailyreportonline.com, “Savannah Jury Returns $4.48M Medical Malpractice Verdict“, Katheryn Hayes Tucker, Aug. 17, 2017