Woman dies of brain damage following surgery

Something as simple as a misplaced tube during surgery resulted in the death of a woman due to brain injury. It appears that an anesthesiologist did not note that the oxygen tube had moved during the surgical procedure and the woman was deprived of oxygen while the anesthesia was administered.

Though this happened in a neighboring state such a medical mistake could occur for patients in Pittsburgh as well. It has been alleged that the woman’s blood pressure was dangerously low, but her blood pressure was not monitored by medical staff. This and the fact that medical staff failed to notice that the woman was having difficulty in breathing led a jury to conclude that medical malpractice took place and the jury thus awarded the woman’s family $1.23 million.

Even if someone to survive a surgery such as this one, they would probably face an entire life of suffering and severe disability due to what occurred. The costs of medical care and services that would have to be provided to such a patient are almost impossible to calculate. It’s for this reason why attorneys and their clients are awarded multi-million dollar verdicts when such incidents occur.

Despite the fact that administration of anesthesia is routine and a necessary part of every surgery, it is remarkable how often we discover that such cases as this occurred. Though the woman lingered on between life and death for three days following the surgical procedure, her life essentially ended right there on the operating table. An autopsy conducted upon the woman indicated that what happened during surgery was the likely and probably only cause of the woman’s death.

Medical providers have to be held accountable for when such incidents occur because such mistakes cannot be allowed to continue to happen.

Source: Kalamazoo Gazette, “Lawton family awarded $1.23 million by Kalamazoo jury in medical malpractice lawsuit,” by Lynn Turner, April 3, 2012