Maryland Medical Malpractice Lawsuits Filed in July 2019

303. Harris v. Mercy Medical Center (filed July 1, 2019) – A pregnant mother shows signs of gestational diabetes during her pregnancy; however, it is not timely diagnosed. She delivers a stillborn baby and an autopsy shows the baby was large for its gestational age, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and an enlarged heart, all known effects of uncontrolled gestational diabetes.
304. Futrovsky v. Anonymous Nurses (filed July 2, 2019) – Nursing staff deems a patient as a high fall risk and develop a detailed fall plan, however, they fail to adhere to it. The patient suffers a serious fall while alone and unmonitored and suffers a fracture to his femur requiring surgery to repair it along with significant rehab.
305. Buck v. Calvert Internal Medicine Group (filed July 2, 2019) – From 2009 to 2017, a patient presents regularly to her longtime primary care doctor with rectal bleeding, stomach and back pain, and acid reflux. He continuously diagnoses her with hemorrhoids and performs no further testing. She eventually sees another doctor in 2017 who performs a colonoscopy which reveals she has rectal cancer. She has had to undergo numerous surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation since then and her probability of survival is low.
306. Holmes v. Thomas Johns Surgery Center (filed July 2, 2019) – A patient is diagnosed with an obstructive ureter stone that requires surgery for removal. The surgeon is supposed to use a laparoscopic technique, however, for reasons unknown opts not to and attempts to remove the stone using forceps. In the process, the surgeon fails to remove the entire stone and perforates the patient’s ureter. This injury causes a multitude of complications and hospital stays over the course of the following months. Ultimately, the patient must have his ureter reconstructed and will require urological care for the remainder of his life.
307. Reed v. Vascular Surgery Associates (filed July 3, 2019) – A patient with hypertension and Stage III renal disease must undergo a renal artery stenting procedure. After the surgery, the surgeon recommends aspirin, despite her disclosing an allergy to it, and provides her with nothing further. As a result, she is discharged without any antiplatelet therapy to avoid stent thrombosis and occlusion which significantly increases the risk for a stroke. Unsurprisingly, she suffers a stroke that has left her with permanent disabilities.
308. Dash v. Peninsula Regional Medical Center (filed July 3, 2019) – A patient with a history of atrial fibrillation and recently diagnosed gastric ulcers presents to the emergency department on multiple occasions with worsening abdominal pain, nausea, fever, and chills. She also becomes tachycardic in atrial fibrillation. To treat her atrial fibrillation, doctors prescribe her Lovenox, despite her ulcers. She has two bleeding episodes and her hemoglobin levels decline requiring a transfusion, however, before the transfusion is performed, she goes into cardiac arrest. An autopsy reveals she died from a massive gastric hemorrhage.
309. Brown v. Orthopedist (filed July 3, 2019) – This case involves a plaintiff who is suing a surgeon for a surgery that he alleges was not medically necessary. Additionally, during his recovery, he develops a pressure ulcer that requires multiple debridements, grafts, surgeries, hospitalizations, and physical therapy.
310. Kelly v. Franklin Square Hospital (filed July 8, 2019) – Following surgery, a patient develops an abscess that her doctors fail to diagnose prior to her discharge. As a result, she develops an ongoing systemic infection that causes her to go into a hypercoagulable state that leads to the development of blood clots. She suffers a stroke that has irreversible effects and now requires assistance for day-to-day activities.
311. Crepeau v. LASIKPlus (filed July 8, 2019) – An eye surgeon fails to consider a patient’s pre-existing conditions that put her at risk for dry eye if she has Lasik eye surgery. She has the procedure and develops dry eyes, superficial punctate keratitis, blepharitis, and lagophthalmos that leads to severe ocular surface disease. These complications require her to have a prosthetic replacement of the ocular surface ecosystem which is very costly and has only minimally improved her condition.
312. Webster v. Anonymous Dentist (filed July 10, 2019) – A dentist places six veneers in a patient’s mouth that are too big and ill-fitting. Within two months, they all de-bonded and fell off. The patient develops abscesses and infections that require him to undergo multiple surgical procedures.
313. Zerbe v. Maryland Cardiology Associates (filed July 11, 2019) – A cardiologist chooses to perform a stent procedure on a patient rather than a bypass despite the likelihood that the stent may occlude the patient’s artery. He ends up suffering a total occlusion of the popliteal stent and develops ischemic gangrene in his foot and lower calf that requires him to have a below the knee amputation.
314. Lasken v. Medical Faculty Associates (filed July 11, 2019) – After having major spinal surgery, the patient has increasing numbness in her upper extremities. The doctors fail to timely diagnose anterolisthesis of her T1 and T2. Although it is eventually diagnosed and surgery is performed to repair it, she suffers permanent injuries including paraplegia and cauda equina syndrome.
315. Jones v. Mid-Atlantic Permanente (filed July 11, 2019) – While inserting a catheter into a patient’s wrist in preparation for a colonoscopy the patient experiences immense pain, however, the nurse continues to probe until she finds the vein. After the procedure, the pain does not subside, and the patient is eventually diagnosed with a radial nerve injury in her wrist. To date, there is no direct cure for her injury aside from medication and therapy and she is no longer able to work as a cook.
316. Ramsburg v. Paik Implant Dentistry (filed July 11, 2019) – After having oral surgery, a patient experiences worsening numbness around his mouth. His dentist fails to recognize a foreign body in the inferior alveolar nerve canal apparent on post-operative scans that was not present on his pre-operative scans. This is not recognized until he seeks a second opinion. The foreign body is likely a piece of a drill bit, however, it is no longer possible to operate as it could worsen his condition. The patient is now left with permanent nerve damage, causing him numbness that has also caused problems with drooling and enunciation.
317. Tobash v. Langton Green (filed July 11, 2019) – A completely disabled adult is sexually assaulted on multiple occasions in a nursing facility. The incidents go undetected and unreported until she suffers severe injuries including a urinary tract infection and vaginal hematoma that require hospitalization and specialized treatment.
318. Daus v. St. Joseph Medical Center (filed July 12, 2019) – Doctors fail to provide accurate assessments during a pregnant mother’s prenatal period. As a result, the baby’s IUGR is not caught and he is diagnosed with, among others, perinatal depression, meconium aspiration syndrome, metabolic acidosis, and encephalopathy. Despite doctor’s efforts to emergently treat him, he suffers a permanent brain injury.
319. Glaze v. Anne Arundel Physicians Group (filed July 12, 2019) – Doctors’ use a vacuum while delivering a baby and once completed, the baby’s arm is flaccid. She is ultimately diagnosed with a right brachial plexus injury with avulsion of the right C7 and C8 nerve root. Since her birth, she has undergone multiple surgeries in attempt to treat her brachial plexus palsy, however, the injury remains permanent.
320. Williams v. FutureCare & Bridgepark (filed July 12, 2019) – A patient is admitted into a rehab facility for treatment of an anoxic brain injury. A repositioning and turning program are ordered to prevent him from developing pressure ulcers, however, he develops several them, one being unstageable due to necrosis.
321. Banks v. Shady Grove Adventist Hospital (filed July 15, 2019) – A premature baby is born and despite symptoms, the appropriate tests are not taken in time that could have caught her sepsis and GBS meningitis. As a result, she suffers permanent neurologic injuries.
322. Ferguson v. Laurelwood Healthcare Center (filed July 15, 2019) – During physical therapy following a hip replacement a therapist performs a maneuver on a patient that immediately causes her immense pain. She is diagnosed with a trochanteric fracture and has had to undergo further surgery to repair it, however, she is unable to walk unassisted anymore and has been prevented from returning to work.
323. Cross v. Capital Women’s Care (filed July 15, 2019) – During delivery a baby is born naturally and suffers a brachial plexus injury. She is diagnosed with brachial plexus palsy and despite surgical attempts to treat it, she suffers a very limited range of motion that is permanent.
324. Barnes v. Allied Foot & Ankle (filed July 15, 2019) – A patient is being treated for a diabetic ulcers and infection on his right foot, however, his condition worsens, and his doctors fail to recognize how serious his condition is and to treat him for it. He ends up developing osteomyelitis and is forced to have a below-the-knee amputation. Even after, the infection is still not under control and he is forced to have an above-the-knee amputation.
325. Uhler v. University of Maryland Medical Center (filed July 15, 2019) – After having abdominal surgery a patient experiences atypical complication but is nevertheless discharged. After only having been home for a few hours, she begins experiencing severe abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. She is rushed to the emergency department where it is discovered she suffered a bowel injury and is septic. She undergoes surgery to remove the septic mesh and spends the next five weeks in the hospital.
326. Butler v. MedStar Medical Group (filed July 15, 2019) – A young man has been seeing the same pediatrician for over 10 years. In that time, he continuously gains weight and is obese. No testing is completed to investigate why he is gaining weight or plans provided to help with managing his weight. He begins not feeling well and loses over 30 pounds in a month when tests are finally taken. They reveal he has uncontrollable diabetes and needs to be rushed to the emergency room, however, these results are not conveyed to his parents quickly enough and he is tragically found dead.
327. Fish v. Aspen Dental (filed July 15, 2019) – A dentist extracts the wrong tooth from a patient’s mouth that was supposed to serve as a pillar for a partial plate. He attempts to re-implant the tooth, but it fails. The patient now requires additional dental procedures to fix his condition.
328. Jarvis v. University of Maryland Capital Surgery Center (filed July 15, 2019) – This case involves an informed consent claim where a patient alleges that a surgeon did not inform her of all the material risks associated with an eye surgery she had. She developed a fungus postoperatively that causes her to undergo seven additional surgeries, a detached retina, and she ultimately lost complete vision in her left eye. She claims that had she been informed of these risks, she would have chosen to forego the surgery.
329. Burch v. St. Mary’s Hospital (filed July 16, 2019) – A woman presents to emergency department on two different occasions with worsening left-sided weakness and numbness as well as a dragging right foot. Both times, the doctors fail to consider a stroke in their diagnosis. She decides to see her primary care doctor and a neurologist after she additionally has left-sided weakness in her face and grasping difficulties. They both correctly diagnose her with multiple strokes and carotid disease. She has had to undergo surgery since then and suffers from permanent deficits.
330. Carter v. Washington Adventist Hospital (filed July 16, 2019) – As part of prep for a heart ablation procedure a patient has a CT scan. While injecting the patient with contrast, the technician injects too much saline into him causing the blood vessel to blow out and the contrast to leak in the surrounding tissue. He suffers partial thickness burns to the back of his hand, pain, and loss of pigmentation.
331. Brian v. Lifebridge Health (filed July 18, 2019) – A patient is being treated for GERD and has Stretta procedure performed. She is not informed that because she has a hiatal hernia the procedure will likely be unsuccessful thus exposing her to several serious risks inherent to the procedure. She suffers an esophageal laceration that goes undetected during the procedure and she is discharged home. In the following days her condition declines and despite treatment efforts, she passes away from sepsis.
332. Riley v. St. Joseph Medical Center (filed July 18, 2019) – After having surgery a patient quickly begins showing signs and symptoms of sepsis, however, doctors fail to consider and timely diagnose it. By the time she is diagnosed, she is too ill to undergo surgical intervention and passes away.
333. Moore v. Personal Touch of Baltimore (filed July 19, 2019) – A nursing home patient is being treated each week for wounds on his sacrum, thigh, and foot. His family members notice he is not feeling well and inform his caretakers who examine him and determine he is okay. The family decides to have his primary care doctor examine him who determines he has a gangrenous wound and is in septic shock. He is rushed to the hospital where due to the infection, he is forced to have his leg amputated.
334. Daniels v. Johns Hopkins Hospital (filed July 19, 2019) – After having heart surgery doctors fail to diagnose a patient with compartment syndrome for several days despite him having clear signs and symptoms. After the diagnosis is made, he has emergency surgery but is left with severe disabilities and dysfunction in mobility.
335. Rogers v. Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center (filed July 19, 2019) – During birth doctors fail to recognize fetal distress and intervene. The baby is born in a decompensated state and suffers a hypoxic ischemic injury. He is diagnosed with cerebral palsy and now has permanent and irreversible brain injuries.
336. Nitkin v. Anonymous Dentist (filed July 22, 2019) – A dentist fails to recognize problems and complications with orthodontic treatment provided to a patient. The patient now suffers, among other things, right lip droops, an uneven mouth and smile, protruding teeth, and an asymmetric smile line. The costs the patient must pay to repair these issues is $25 thousand.
337. Zirkle v. Brookeville House Assisted Living (filed July 22, 2019) – A nursing home fails to take necessary steps to prevent a patient from developing skin breakdown and wounds. As a result, the patient develops open wounds that become infected. Additionally, up until this point the nursing home has refused to provide the patient’s son with a copy of her records despite him having submitted an authorized request.
338. Brodsky v. GW Medical Faculty Associates (filed July 24, 2019) – After suffering blunt head and neck trauma, a patient seeks help from a neuropsychologist for cognitive, behavioral, and personal functioning symptoms. The neuropsychologist fails to perform proper diagnostic testing and misdiagnoses her condition until nearly three years later.
339. Bair v. Anonymous Dentist (filed July 25, 2019) – A patient informs her dentist on multiple occasions that she has an allergy to epinephrine. Despite this, while performing an implant the dentist injects her with a local anesthetic containing epinephrine. Due to the allergic reaction, she develops multiple complications and supraventricular tachycardia that she still suffers from today.
340. Allen v. Dimensions Health Corporation (filed July 26, 2019) – Despite fetal monitoring equipment indicating fetal distress, doctors and medical staff fail to intervene and perform an emergency C-section. The baby is born naturally, however, he suffered oxygen deprivation severe enough to cause his death three hours after birth.
341. Ferko v. Brookdale Woodward Estates (filed July 26, 2019) – A nursing home fails to implement a fall plan for a dementia resident who was assessed to be a high fall risk even after she suffers a fall requiring her to go to the hospital. She unsurprisingly suffers a second fall that results in a head contusion and wrist fracture.
342. King v. Woman’s Choice OB/GYN (filed July 26, 2019) – Doctors fail to diagnose a pregnant mother with gestational diabetes despite positive urine glucose tests. She abruptly gives birth at 27 weeks gestation and when her vitals are taken her glucose is 503, a panic value for hyperglycemia, but again no diagnosis is made, or treatment provided. She additionally has signs of a MRSA infection. She is discharged and found unresponsive in her home and passes away. An autopsy reveals she died from diabetic ketoacidosis with the MRSA infection as a contributing factor.
343. Lucas v. Harbor Hospital (filed July 29, 2019) – Fetal heart monitoring reveals intrauterine distress, however, a C-section is not called for quick enough. By the time it is, the baby has already suffered a hypoxic ischemic injury and is diagnosed with neonatal depression and cerebral palsy.
344. Johnson v. Genesis Hammonds Lane Center (filed July 29, 2019) – While being rehabilitated following surgery, a patient with a history and recent diagnoses of DVT and SVT is taken off her anticoagulation therapy. She develops worsening thrombi and experiences a pulmonary embolism and passes away.
345. Baker v. Homewood Center (filed July 29, 2019) – A nursing home resident suffering from glaucoma and other conditions requiring close supervision suffers a severe fall that results in a broken femur.
346. Webster v. Anonymous Doctor (filed July 29, 2019) – A woman’s doctor knows that her and her husband are trying to conceive a child and plan to do so by in vitro fertilization due to difficulties of getting pregnant on their own. Despite having this knowledge, the doctor performs an endometrial hydrothermal ablation surgery without informing her it will compromise her ability to conceive and deliver a child. As a result, she is no longer able to become pregnant.
347. Ewenike v. Anonymous Dentist (filed July 30, 2019) – A woman is supposed to have one tooth extracted, however, she learns after that the dentist extracted two and did so inappropriately leaving behind large dry sockets with exposed bone. She suffers immense pain and has had to have two additional teeth pulled and bone grafting done to repair the damage.
348. Hwang v. Mercy Medical Center (filed July 30, 2019) – After having a spinal fusion surgery, a patient develops worsening symptoms of thoracic myelopathy. Cord compression is suspected, and an MRI is taken, however, the images are limited by artifact that precluded a full evaluation. No further imaging is taken until two days later a thoracic myelogram is obtained that confirms cord compression. Surgery is performed where a large hematoma is discovered to have been causing the compression. She now suffers from permanent neurologic injuries.
349. Caby v. University of Maryland Medical Center (filed July 30, 2019) – A patient diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism has a cardiac catheterization performed. After, her right forearm begins to swell and her condition deteriorates including numbness in her hand and fingers, pain, and eventually no sensation or palpable pulses in her hand. A vascular consult is finally requested, and she is diagnosed and treated for a hematoma. She now suffers permanent physical injuries and disfigurement.
350. Tzimoyannis v. Active Name Day of Annapolis (filed July 31, 2019) – During transport from adult day care, a woman suffers a traumatic injury to her leg requiring hospital admission. She must undergo wound debridement and care for months following.
351. Yestekov v. Anonymous Dentist (filed July 31, 2019) – A dentist improperly places dental implants in a patient’s mouth. As a result, her gums become inflamed and infected and she develops periodontal disease. She is forced to have the implants removed and replaced with individual crowns and additionally loses one of her teeth.
352. Brooks v. Maryland Medical Center Midtown (filed July 31, 2019) – An 80-year-old patient on anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications goes to the emergency room where a doctor improperly places a femoral line resulting in an arterial injury. He attempts to repair the injury but when the line is removed at her time of discharge, profuse bleeding and spurting occur. The bleeding is stopped but surgical intervention is not immediately provided. While in the ICU, she codes and dies from hemorrhagic shock secondary to removal of the femoral line.

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