Medical Malpractice Trial Victory

On May 2, 2025, a trial team of Mimi K. Moon and Brian C. Rocca obtained a defense verdict on behalf of a vascular surgeon. Plaintiff alleged that the vascular surgeon was professionally negligent in his care and treatment of a 66 year old female who suffered a bleeding complication after a diagnostic cardiac catheterization. The patient complained of severe abdominal and groin pain in the PACU after the procedure and after a CT scan confirmed an access site bleed and a moderate to large retroperitoneal hematoma, her interventional cardiologist recommended medical management.  She complained of 10/10 pain upon transfer to the ICU, was symptomatic throughout the day and could not urinate. Her conditioned deteriorated in to hemorrhagic shock and the vascular surgeon was consulted “on standby” 8 hours after the complication occurred. He did not come in to evaluate the patient and recommended no surgical intervention because while she was persistently hypotensive and symptomatic, all providers at bedside documented she was stable. The patient coded less than an hour later and the cardiology team set a plan in motion to return her to the catheterization lab for endovascular intervention. The vascular surgeon came in to the hospital to assist and determined the patient coded again in the catheterization lab.  She was resuscitated, and closure completed but she died a few hours later of claimed abdominal compartment syndrome. The allegations against the vascular surgeon were that 1) he failed to obtain appropriate information when initially consulted, 2) failed to recommend appropriate volume resuscitation, 3) failed to take her for emergent intervention whether open or endovascular,  and 4) left the hospital before confirming her bladder pressures were in the acceptable range. Plaintiff alleged that his failure to decompress her abdomen for abdominal compartment syndrome reduced the likelihood of her survival. The defense argued that it was reasonable for the vascular surgeon to believe the patient was stable at the time he was consulted, the patient was not a surgical candidate at any time due to her hemodynamic instability and that there was not sufficient time for him to change the plan set by her cardiology team that would have altered the outcome. The trial took place before Judge Preston Jones, Jr.

The plaintiff asked for $19,150,000 million in damages to cover past loss of normal life, past pain and suffering, past medical bills, and loss of society.  After a 14 day trial, the jury deliberated for 90 minutes before returning a verdict in favor of the defendants.