Calbert v. Advocate Healthcare, et al

Medical malpractice verdict. Our client, C. Calbert, visited Advocate South Suburban Hospital because he had diarrhea for several days. Eleven days later, he was taken into surgery. To compensate for the drop in blood pressure he was experiencing, the patient was administered Levophed, a vasopressor medication. After surgery, he was instructed to slowly be taken off Levophed and switched to Neosynephrine, but only if his blood pressure dropped below 100. According to the plaintiffs, in the days immediately following his surgery, the ICU nurses did not perform the necessary testing on the arterial line – the line being used to monitor blood pressure. Because they were not testing the correct lien, there was a false read of low blood pressure. Because they detected low blood pressure, the staff gave the patient maximum doses of vasopressors, which he did not actually need. The overdose ultimately caused ischemia that necessitating amputation of his left arm and all of his toes.

Co-counsel with Larry R. Rogers, Sr., and Larry R. Rogers, Jr.

(2014) Medical malpractice. On September 4, 2007, Plaintiff presented to Advocate South Suburban Hospital after experiencing several days of diarrhea. He was admitted and taken to surgery on September 15th and during the surgery, he was administered the vasopressor medication Levophed for a drop in his blood pressure. Post-operatively, a consulting cardiologist ordered that the Levophed be weaned off and he be given Neosynephrine if his systolic blood pressure dropped below 100. Plaintiffs maintained that from September 15 – 17, the ICU nursing staff failed to perform dynamic response testing on the arterial line that was being used to evaluate Plaintiff’s blood pressure and as a result it was falsely reading systolic blood pressures below 100 when his true blood pressures were higher. As a result the nursing staff was administering maximum doses of vasopressors when he needed little if any. The excessive vasopressors caused vasoconstriction in his blood vessels and poor perfusion to his extremities causing them to become ischemic from lack of blood flow. As a result of the poor perfusion caused by the vasopressors, Plaintiff ‘s left hand, and the toes on both of his feet became ischemic, necrotic, gangrenous and needed to be amputated. The defense maintained that Plaintiff was a very sick man who was in septic shock with 5 system multi-organ failure and the poor perfusion was the result of a coagulopathy cascade caused by the sepsis and the body’s native shunting of blood to vital organs for survival. The defense maintained that Plaintiff desperately needed the vasopressors to survive his life threatening condition and but for the high doses of vasopressors, he would have died.

Medical Malpractice: The mother of the deceased minor child delivered twins at 34 weeks at MacNeal Hospital by C-section. D., one of the twins, was diagnosed with a respiratory problem known as esophageal atresia with lower tracheoesophageal fistula. They diagnosed the condition on 11/15/06, ran tests on 11/16/06 and told family that on 11/17/06 they were going to attempt to reattach the esophagus to the stomach and address a fistula between the esophagus and lung. The family was told it would be 2-3 hours surgery, but after waiting 6 hours, they still had not heard anything. Finally they were told the problem was more difficult than anticipated and that they were waiting a specialist. Plaintiff’s investigation revealed that in fact a medical error occurred during the procedure. Instead of incising the fistula as intended, the surgeon transected the child’s bronchial tube to the lung and caused the lung to collapse. After the surgery, the child was on a ventilator and hospitalized until he ultimately died from his injuries.

No Lawsuit Filed (Cook County)
P.T. and S.T. v. Northwestern Memorial Hospital

(2017) Medical Malpractice: 55-year-old married female presented for removal of her esophagus due to difficulty swallowing and regurgitation. During the procedure, Surgical was utilized but was not removed ultimately migrating into her spinal canal compromising her spinal cord, which resulted in paraplegia and a neurogenic bladder and bowel. When imaging was ordered due to symptoms, the imaging was delayed, thereby delaying spinal cord decompression. Lead Counsel Joseph A. Power, Jr.

Medical Malpractice: Two day old infant with Down Syndrome underwent surgery for bowel obstruction. A central venous catheter was incorrectly placed and allowed administered fluid to penetrate the heart wall resulting in cardiac arrest and permanent and severe brain injury.

The plaintiff, age 27, underwent a heart catheterization procedure on December 1, 2020 in a rural Illinois County. The plaintiff presented to the defendant’s emergency room on December 9th, December 11th and December 13th, 2020 with multiple signs and symptoms of an infection in the right groin including pain “15 out of 10”, pain radiating into her knee and swelling around the wound site. The plaintiff also reported to the emergency room staff that she was diabetic. The hospital staff failed to appreciate and act upon the plaintiff’s continued complaints and multiple signs and symptoms of an infection in the right leg. The defendant’s lack of care and treatment contributed to the deterioration of the plaintiff and necrotizing tissue in her right leg. As a result, the plaintiff underwent an above the right knee leg amputation on December 22, 2020. (2021)

C. v. Rosenblum, et al.

Medical Malpractice: 39-year-old lady died as a result of the failure of a physician to perform a spinal tap which would have resulted in the diagnosis and treatment of a subarachnoid hemorrhage and aneurysm. At the time, this was the largest wrongful death verdict in Illinois history. The decedent left a husband and two children.

G. v. Evanston Northwestern Healthcare

Plaintiff, a former professor at Loyola University of Chicago, on April 20, 1999, went into Evanston Hospital for a decompressive laminectomy for severe cervical stenosis. Prior to the surgery he ambulated with a cane. On April 20th, there was an attempted C6 vertebrectomy for decompression of the spinal cord at the C5-6 level and the C6-7 level.

Plaintiffs’ expert contended osteophytes left behind created internal stress to the spinal cord which affected the blood flow to the cord and its function. The large osteophytes left behind at C5 on the right side tethered the cord at the exit point as well as at C6-C7 leaving persistent compression and quadriparesis. The defense experts claimed it was within the standard of care to leave the osteophytes because removing them often leads to paralysis with someone with a severe stenosis as the plaintiff had.

Medical Malpractice: Plaintiff went to outpatient Midwest Medical Center for a spinal injection of an anti-platelet drug to alleviate neck pain caused by an earlier car accident. The injection caused a blood clot in his spinal cord, causing tingling and numbness in lower limbs. Three hours later an ambulance was called to take him for emergency surgery, but by the time he arrived at the hospital, he was permanently paralyzed.

WR v. The University of Chicago Hospitals and Health System, et al.,

(2003) Medical Malpractice: 68 year old male was given an epidural injection while he was on Plavix, an antiplatelet agent. An epidural hematoma developed but over 3.5 hours passed before transfer for emergent neurosurgical care was effectuated. The epidural hematoma resulted in paraplegia.