Decedent with a history of atrial fibrillation on prescription Eloquis underwent a surveillance colonoscopy on June 20, 2016 and was discharged.  Post-operative day 1, she had evidence of bleeding and the next day she returned with complaints of rectal bleeding  She was noted to have prematurely restarted her eloquis.  She was stabilized and was again discharged. On June 24, 2016, she represented to the emergency room at a Chicago hospital with bright red rectal bleeding and lightheadedness and was found to be hypotensive with a hemoglobin level on 7.1 →6.3.  Blood transfusions were administered, a repeat colonoscopy was performed on June 25, 2016 which found that the bleeding to be from the polypectomy bed.  Three clips were placed, however she course was further complicated by a troponin leak secondary to strain and atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response in the setting of anemia due to recent GI bleed post-colonoscopy.  She  developed heart failure, cardiogenic shock, asystole and ultimately died on June 27, 2016.

Decedent’s treating physician ordered decedent to undergo an EKG and on October 7, 2016 the EKG was in fact abnormal with ST & T wave abnormalities. The clinician misdiagnosed and misinterpreted the EKG as indeterminate.   The abnormal EKG results of the type resulted on October 7, 2016 need to be followed up on with an immediate and urgent cardiac work-up to include a stress test and evaluation by a cardiologist on an emergency basis.  Defendant did not offer an emergency work-up of the abnormal EKG and LG died on October 12, 2016. 

D.G. v. A.H.H.C. & M.O.

Larry Rogers, Jr. and James Power secured a $1,250,000.00 settlement on behalf of a family who’s mother passed away following her doctor’s failure to recognize a cardiac condition following orthopedic surgery.

Medical Malpractice: Pathologist under-reported findings contained within a tongue lesion during biopsy interpretation leading to a delay in diagnosis of tongue cancer and progression of disease leading to metastasis and death. The patient was 79 years old at the time of the misdiagnosis and was survived by her husband and children

(2023 – Cook County)
A.M. v. Chicago Area Hospital

Medical negligence/wrongful death: 71-year old female presented to Chicago area hospital with chest pain, back pain, and fever. She had recently undergone chemotherapy for treatment of leukemia. While an inpatient at the hospital, she suffered an unwitnessed fall, resulting in a subdural hematoma. This brain bleed and its sequalae caused her death 2 weeks later. Plaintiff alleged that decedent was a moderate fall risk by objective and subjective measurement and additionally was at high risk for bleeding due to her thrombocytopenia (low platelets) from cancer and chemotherapy. Plaintiff alleged that the bed alarm was not properly set and that had fall precautions been implemented, Decedent’s fall and resultant injury and death would have been avoided. Co-counsel with Joseph W. Balesteri.

S.B.M. v. A Downstate Hospital

(2019) Healthy baby boy born September 9, 2015 to healthy mom. Mom was administered a pain medication (Norco) by a nurse after having passed out post-delivery. The same nurse thereafter gave mom her baby for breastfeeding in the very early morning hours without waking the father of the baby. Upon the nurse’s return (about 50 minutes later), the baby was found unresponsive next to his sleeping mom. The one-day old baby was pronounced dead as a result of asphyxiation from overlay. He is survived by his parents.

Result: $1,000,000.00

RC, Individually and as Mother and Next Friend of HG, a minor v. Little Company of Mary Hospital

(2012) Medical Malpractice: Premature delivery by induction of a preemie (32 weeks) thought to be term, after the defendant radiologist dictated another mother’s pregnancy ultrasound data into the child’s mother’s report. The pregnancy was electively induced in reliance upon a different pregnancy’s data resulting in pre-term delivery and a brain bleed at birth.

Result: $1,000,000.00

JP, as Special Administrator of the Estate of CP, Deceased v. Advocate Christ Hospital and Medical Center

(2010) Medical Malpractice: 78 year old female presented to the emergency room for pulmonary concerns. Atrial fibrillation was found on a routine EKG and Heparin was started pursuant to a weight based nomogram. Due to over-anticoagulation as a result of a failure to follow a hospital protocol regarding the timing of Heparin administration in response to blood work, CP was over anticoagulated resulting in a brain bleed, neurologic impairment and her death approximately two months later. She was survived by her husband and five adult children.

Result: $1,000,000.00

CK v. Rush University Medical Center, et al.

(2008) Medical Malpractice: 41 year old female underwent left-sided L4-L5 micro-endoscopic discectomy. The surgeons caused injury to her spinal cord resulting in drop foot on the left side and an inability to move toes on the right side with tingling and burning to the foot.

Result: $1,000,000.00

E.H, deceased v. Northwestern Memorial Hospital

Medical Malpractice settlement.  On April 29, 2018, the plaintiff, aged 70, presented to the E/R complaining of right hip pain. X-rays revealed possible calcifications within the soft tissues. A follow-up MRI revealed a mass within the right gluteus muscles. On July 1, 2019, she was diagnosed with Stage IV angiosarcoma. She underwent treatment but died from the disease on April 24, 2020. Allegedly, her physician was negligent in his care and treatment of her following her April 29, 2018, emergency department visit, which delayed her diagnosis, and allowed her disease to progress.  She died prematurely as a result of the delay in diagnosis.