Medical Malpractice: The Plaintiff, a 66 year-old woman, suffered paraparesis after physicians at an area hospital failed to timely diagnose and treat her rare spinal cord lesion. The defense contended that the delayed diagnosis was inconsequential, because the lesion was in a location that rendered it inoperable.

B. vs. Advocate South Suburban Hospital, et al.

Decedent passed away on June 10, 2012, weeks after giving birth at Advocate South Suburban Hospital. Following birth she presented twice to the emergency department at Advocate South Suburban Hospital with complaints of shortness of breath. At both visits she was found to have leg swelling and an elevated blood pressure. The emergency room staff did not contact her obstetrician and she was discharged without diagnosis beyond shortness of breath of unknown etiology after pulmonary embolism was excluded. Urine testing was not done to assess for protein. She had normal blood pressures throughout her pregnancy and labor and delivery. She was experiencing undiagnosed pre-eclampsia that led to eclampsia on June 1, 2012 when she seized. The Decedent was survived by her husband and two children. Co-counsel with Joseph A. Power, Jr.

Plaintiff was a patient at a major research hospital in Cook County where she was hospitalized for an outpatient procedure on her airway. The procedure was uneventful, but later her tracheostomy tube became dislodged and the nursing staff failed to react in a timely fashion. Plaintiff suffered an anoxic event, conscious pain and suffering and subsequently passed away. (2010)

(2020) Medical Malpractice: Plaintiff’s Decedent, a 40-year-old, passed away from non-small cell lung cancer. Two and a half years prior, a cavitary lesion in the left lung had been identified on CT as an incidental finding. A year later, another CT was performed which identified “interval resolution” of the cavitary lesion. Plaintiff contended that this second interpretation was professionally negligent and that in reality, the lesion was larger and more solid in composition as compared to the year prior. Defendant contended that the interpretation was not negligent and further contended that individuals with metastatic disease, due to their genetic makeup, are metastatic years before diagnosis such that earlier diagnosis and treatment would not have changed the outcome. The Decedent is survived by his wife and two children.

M. v. Northwestern Medical Foundation, et al.

On or about 4/20/02 a chest x-ray of the left lung was read by Dr. Wiggins as normal. Dr. Kirby saw something suspicious in the upper left quadrant of the lung and called another radiologist who also read the film as normal. No physician followed up nor advised M., a law professor, of possible abnormalities despite thirteen (13) subsequent visits to Dr. Kirby. On or about April 29, 2003, lung cancer was finally diagnosed from a follow-up x-ray. The lesion grew from one (1) centimeter to 6 x 9 centimeters and metastasized to other parts of her body. She died on April 11, 2004. M. died from the undiagnosed lung cancer with a delay in treatment of over one year. The lung cancer went from non-metastatic and curable to metastatic and non-curable due to the delay.

L.T. v. Cook County Stroger Hospital

On May 10, 2013, Plaintiff’s Decedent (F-55) presented to Cook County Stroger Hospital for the purposes of undergoing a pacemaker insertion surgery due to her chronic cardiac condition. Post-surgical bleeding was encountered and the Plaintiff’s Decedent remained an inpatient through June 2, 2013, at which point she was discharged home. She re-presented four days later complaining of shortness of breath. She suffered an arrest the following morning and died as a result of pneumonia and hypovolemic shock. Plaintiff contended that a surgical evacuation and/or blood transfusions should have been undertaken upon Decedent’s re-presentation to Stroger hospital, prior to her arrest. The Decedent is survived by her husband and four adult children.

(2024 – Cook County)

(2024) Medical Malpractice: 57-year-old male presented to a Chicago area hospital for an elective urologic procedure. Hours after the procedure, a rapid respiratory response was called. Plaintiff alleged a failure to work-up, diagnose, and treat pulmonary embolism by increasing heparin therapy from prophylactic to therapeutic dosing. After a brief stay in the ICU, a few hospital days were spent on the general medical floor where a Code occurred, however, death was pronounced. An autopsy revealed a saddle pulmonary embolus and a clot in one lung lobe. The decedent is survived by his wife and three children.

E.K., As Mother and Next Friend of E.M., her minor daughter v. A Local Pediatric Hospital

(2020) Medical Malpractice: Three-year-old girl presented to a local pediatric hospital to undergo surgery for the removal of what was believed to be a cholesteatoma which was affecting left-sided hearing (conductive hearing). The next day she underwent a second surgery to repair physician-caused injury to facial nerve. The ENT in charge of the surgery failed to recognize that the mass was not a cholesteatoma and proceeded to explore the area causing the facial nerve damage. As a consequence, the minor now will need a Baha hearing aid affixed to her skull and has lost the real opportunity to hear on the affected side. She also has permanent facial paralysis resulting in asymmetry of her face, eyes, eyebrow, and smile.

C. v. Rush Presbyterian – St. Luke’s Medical Center, et al.

C. underwent knee surgery on March 8, 2002. After the surgery he was given full strength Fentanyl/Bupivacaine and Cloridine by epidural for pain. He remained uncomfortable so the epidural was pulled and he was started on Morphine. Thereafter the epidural position was reconfirmed and he was restarted on Fentanyl/Bupivacaine and Cloridine as well as the Morphine. At approximately 1:00 a.m. the attending physician noted the patient was comfortable, sleeping but easily arousable. At 4:00 a.m., a nurse, while administering antibiotics, noted that Plaintiff was pale and unresponsive with his pulse rate dropping from 20 to 0. He was in asystole and a Code was called and CPR commenced.

Plaintiff contends that the pain medicines administered were respiratory depressants which led to a respiratory arrest and hypoxic anoxic brain damage. Under the circumstances an apnea monitor and oximeter were required by the standard of care to prevent a respiratory arrest. This brain damage ultimately led to his death six days later, on March 14, 2002.

F.S. v. F.C. (2018)

Joseph Power and James Power secured a $6,000,000.00 on behalf of their client after a local hospital failed to diagnosis Cauda Equina Syndrome over the course of a three-day hospital stay. F.S. was brought to the hospital via ambulance and was seen by neurologist F.C. who failed to recognize and diagnosed F.S.’s CES. As a result of this failure, compression on F.S.’s spine was not relieved until after permanent nerve damage had occurred. As a result, F.S. now has trouble walking without an assistive device and has issues with incontinence.