An Illinois medical malpractice case I recently handled where an anesthetic was injected into the victim’s spinal cord ended successfully for a Chicago area woman. A 44 year old Chicago area woman became a victim of medical malpractice when she went into a surgical center for repair of a torn rotator cuff. Prior to the surgery the anesthesiologist injected the patient with an anesthetic to reduce post operative pain. The anesthetic was injected into the patient’s spinal cord, instead of proximate to the brachial plexus nerve. As a result of the anesthetic entering the patient’s spinal cord, the patient suffered partial paralysis of her arms and legs as well as numbness over large areas of her trunk.
As a result of her injuries the patient was unable to return to her job as an assistant manager of a local grocery store. Her past and future loss of earnings was approximately $700,000. The anesthesiologist and his professional corporation paid their $1,000,000 policy limits and the surgical center paid $1,200,000 on an apparent agency claim. The case was resolved immediately before a jury trial was scheduled to begin in Chicago.
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