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Hospital and physicians liable for $12.2 million jury award
By Damian D. Capozzola, Esq. The Law Offices of Damian D. Capozzola Los Angeles Jamie Terrence, RN President and Founder, Healthcare Risk Services Former Director of Risk Management Services (2004-2013) California Hospital Medical Center Los Angeles David Vassalli, 2016 JD Candidate Pepperdine University School of Law Malibu, CA
News: In 2011, a 51-year-old man was undergoing heart surgery when complications requiring resuscitation arose. The man required cardioversion and was resuscitated after being shocked five or six times. The surgeon then ordered 150 mg of amiodarone, which is a medication used to normalize abnormal heart rhythms. The anesthesiologist retrieved three vials of what he believed to be 50 mg of amiodarone to intravenously administer to the man. However, and unbeknownst to the surgeon and anesthesiologist, each of the three vials that the anesthesiologist did administer to the man contained 900 mg each. The man’s heart stabilized, and the surgeon completed the surgery successfully. The man soon after had a second episode of ventricular fibrillation, which caused the lower chambers of his heart to quiver and prevented it from pumping blood and oxygen to his brain. This situation allegedly was caused by an amiodarone overdose and led to the man being permanently brain damaged, being unable to function on his own, and requiring medical services for the rest of his life. The man brought a medical malpractice suit against the hospital where the medication mix-up occurred, the anesthesiologist who administered the incorrect dosage, and the healthcare provider for whom the anesthesiologist worked. The anesthesiologist acknowledged he administered an incorrect dosage. The hospital denied liability but admitted there was breakdown in communication at the hospital. In a two-week trial, the jury awarded the man $12.2 million, which consisted of $6.4 million for past and future medical costs, and $5.8 million for pain and suffering. The jury further determined that the hospital was 60% responsible, the anesthesiologist was 25% responsible, and the healthcare provider for whom the anesthesiologist worked was 15% responsible for...