Case 13: Lawsuit Outcome
As the lawsuit progressed, it became apparent that the plaintiff began to focus the case on the surgery center itself. Recall that both surgeons, the anesthesiologist, their employers, and the surgery center itself were named defendants. The surgeons were initially scrutinized for their decision to operate at an outpatient center. The report from the Department […]
Case 13: Family Depositions
The patient’s family members were also deposed during the course of the lawsuit. There were several adult sons and daughters who gave their perspective on the situation. The stories they tell about being informed that their father had died are heartbreaking. One of the key elements of these depositions is the testimony from the family, […]
Case 13: Surgeon Depositions
Both of the surgeons were deposed for the case as well. The orthopedic spine surgeon essentially spent a few hours in the deposition stating “I don’t know” or “I can’t remember” to essentially every question. It is unclear if he was coached to say this or was just being obstinate of his own accord. The […]
Case 13: Anesthesiologist Deposition
As part of the legal proceedings, the anesthesiologist was deposed. She admitted the mistake from the beginning and did not try to cover up the error. One of the key elements of discussion was how the lidocaine ended up in the cabinet. She had worked at this surgery center extensively, and had given fluids out […]
Case 13: Expert Witness Opinions
The plaintiffs hired numerous expert witnesses to review the case. Their opinions are shown below. The anesthesiologist expert witness noted numerous shortcomings in the patient’s care. The crux of her opinion is the obvious statement that transfusing 4% lidocaine in this situation is inappropriate. Most commonly, 500mL bags of lidocaine come in 0.4% concentration, although […]
Case 13: Lawsuit
The patient’s family members contacted an attorney to review the case. It is easy to understand how this would be an attractive case for a plaintiff’s attorney. The patient was relatively young and died as a direct result of a physician’s error. The defendants in the case included the outpatient surgical center, the business that […]
Case 13: Photo Exhibits
The anesthesiologist’s suspicion of a fatal lidocaine overdose was confirmed by the autopsy. She anticipated that a lawsuit would be filed. She wanted to demonstrate how this mistake happened. She took multiple pictures of the operating room where the incident happened, the cabinet, and the bags of medication. They would ultimately end up being included […]
Case 13: Autopsy
The surgeons and anesthesiologists were shocked at the patient’s death. The patient had seemed relatively healthy and there were no signs of any issues until his sudden hypotensive episode followed by cardiac arrest. They hypothesized that he may have had a cardiac event or pulmonary embolism, causing his death. Here we will cut back to […]
Case 13: EMS and ED Records
The report from the EMS crew is shown here. En route, his dopamine drip was shut off due to hypertension. Shortly before arrival, he had an episode of bradycardia and was given 1mg atropine. As they were taking him into the ED, he lost pulses again and CPR was started. Several cardiac tracings are shown […]
Case 13: Surgery
The operation was scheduled at an outpatient surgical center. The neurosurgeon and orthopedic spine surgeon were partners at the facility. The patient checked in the morning of the operation. He met the anesthesiologist and signed consent forms from both of the surgeons. The patient was brought back to the operating room. He was intubated safely […]