Atlee Hall recently secured a plaintiff’s verdict via binding arbitration in a case filed against a local health care system’s team of doctors.
The case involved an elderly woman who underwent a cardiac procedure after a prior heart valve replacement had failed.
While the defense had very well-qualified experts who contended that the doctors involved in the patient’s care acted reasonably and even heroically, ultimately, the Arbitrator agreed that they were negligent and that their negligence caused the patient’s injury and death.
The case involved an elderly woman who underwent a cardiac procedure after a prior heart valve replacement had failed. Tragically, despite efforts to deal with the complications encountered during surgery, she never recovered and later passed away.
During the procedure, which was intended to be less invasive than traditional open-heart surgery, the patient developed significant complications. The case was complicated by the fact that at the time of the patient’s surgery, the procedure was relatively new.
Through our experts (a cardiothoracic surgeon, an interventional cardiologist, and a cardiac radiologist), we were able to show that the patient was not a candidate for the procedure given her anatomy and prior valve replacement.
Ultimately, the case was resolved in binding arbitration.
The patient’s husband was awarded damages for his wife’s pain and suffering, as well as for the emotional loss he sustained as a result of his wife’s untimely passing.