Maryland Medical Malpractice Lawsuits Filed in September 2019

405. Taddei v. Dentist (filed September 3, 2019) – A dentist uses excessive force while extracting a patient’s wisdom teeth and dislocates their jaw. The patient suffers significant pain and must undergo surgical intervention.
406. Dunlap v. Doctor (filed September 3, 2019) – A woman is seeing a chiropractor who performs neck manipulations on her. She returns home after treatment and goes to bed later that evening with a headache. The following morning, she is found deceased in her bed. A post-mortem exam reveals neck injuries including subarachnoid hemorrhage, cervical vertebra C4-C6, soft tissue hemorrhage, and right-side C6-C7. The medical examiner concludes she died from a neck injury secondary to neck manipulation.
407. Youngblood v. Sinai Hospital (filed September 3, 2019) – A woman presents to the emergency room with near-fatal asthma exacerbation. She remains in the emergency room for more than six hours before receiving treatment and suffers prolonged respiratory distress. She requires intubation and is diagnosed with acute hypoxic respiratory failure due to asthma exacerbation and quadriparesis secondary to hypoxic cerebral edema. She is transferred to an acute rehab facility where she currently resides.
408. Chelton v. Powerback (filed September 4, 2019) – A man is admitted to the hospital while waiting for Aspirin in his blood to clear out of his system before surgery. While there, he develops a decubitus ulcer.
409. Cunningham v. Fairfield Nursing and Rehab Center (filed September 4, 2019) – An elderly nursing home patient with limited mobility suffers several falls. She suffers a closed fracture of her left fibula and a left ankle fracture-dislocation. She requires surgery and several screws and other implants to repair the damage to her left ankle.
410. Atkins v. Upper Chesapeake Medical Center (filed September 4, 2019) – A 48-year-old woman presents to the emergency room with signs and symptoms of spinal cord ischemia. Her condition is not timely diagnosed and treated, and her spinal cord ischemia causes a spinal cord infarction. As a result, she suffers permanent neurological injuries and is now paralyzed.
411. Chaudry v. Medstar Harbor Hospital (filed September 5, 2019) – A surgeon leaves an injury to a patient’s left hepatic duct unrepaired. The patient must undergo multiple procedures to repair it and develops sepsis. She still has not fully recovered and is unable to perform usual daily activities or return to work.
412. Badders v. Maryland Vascular Specialists (filed September 5, 2019) – A woman undergoes angioplasty of her iliac artery, femoral artery, and aorta. After the procedure, she shows signs of complications but is discharged. Her condition worsens, and her left foot becomes cold and purple. She goes to the emergency room where doctors suspect an arterial thrombus and surgery is performed. After surgery, she is severely hypotensive and tachycardic. An iliac artery injury and a hematoma are discovered. She is taken to surgery to address and repair the bleeding, but she dies shortly after from hemorrhagic shock due to the left iliac artery injury.
413. Johnson v. Mabel’s House (filed September 5, 2019) – A man is admitted to an assisted living facility after suffering a seizure. While there, he informs his family that he has not been regularly receiving his daily seizure medication. The family reaches out and the facility assures them they will make sure he gets it. He ends up suffering a grand mal seizure as a result of not having his medication.
414. Reese v. Anesthesiologist (filed September 6, 2019) – A 1-year-old who has sickle cell anemia and asthma, both of which are known to cause complications while under anesthesia, is operated on. Before the surgery he is wheezing, however, the surgery went ahead anyway. He nearly goes into cardiac arrest and suffers circulatory collapse during the procedure causing his brain to be deprived of oxygen. As a result, he suffers a severe and permanently disabling anoxic brain injury and a seizure disorder. He will never be able to walk, feed himself, or otherwise take care of activities of daily living.
415. Raczowski v. Gloria Friends Home (filed September 10, 2019) – A resident of an assisted living facility suffers burn injuries to her lower extremities after employees sat her in a chair, plugged a space heater in next to her, and left her unattended.
416. Trim v. University of Maryland Medical Center (filed September 10, 2019) – A pregnant woman is admitted to the hospital until delivery due to the pregnancy being high risk. While admitted, she suffers a fetal-maternal bleed that is not detected quickly enough. A STAT C-section is finally ordered but is not performed until nearly an hour later. The baby suffers permanent brain damage resulting in neurological injuries and cerebral palsy.
417. Elias v. Washington Adventist Hospital (filed September 11, 2019) – A pregnant woman at 38 weeks of gestation presents to the hospital for a fetal nonstress test. The results were nonreactive with decelerations present; however, no C-section was performed. Three hours later fetal heart monitoring demonstrated poor variability and a STAT C-section was finally ordered, however, it was not performed, and the baby was not delivered until over an hour later. The baby suffered an ongoing loss of oxygen to her brain during that time that caused an irreversible brain injury.
418. Singh v. Podiatrist (filed September 12, 2019) – A medical doctor needs surgery to treat a bunion deformity. She explicitly tells the surgeon she does not want a fusion, but rather a wedge osteotomy, and provides consent only to osteotomy in writing. Despite this, the surgeon elects to perform the fusion. This surgery fails to fix the deformity and in addition to having a procedure she did not consent to, she will now need additional surgery and removal of hardware to repair her bunion deformity.
419. Tarr v. Mercy Medical Center (filed September 12, 2019) – After having surgery a patient develops an unstageable necrotic pressure ulcer while recovering. He is discharged with a home care plan; however, the pressure ulcer only worsens. He is eventually diagnosed with sepsis and osteomyelitis. He has undergone over 75 debridements since January of 2017 causing him to lose bone, muscle, and subcutaneous tissue and he will likely require at least one, if not two more years of wound care.
420. Thomas v. MedStar Medical Group (filed September 13, 2019) – A patient develops complications after having a knee replacement including extreme pain and bloody drainage from the wound site. She is discharged and quickly returns to the emergency department where she is diagnosed with an MRSA infection and undergoes several irrigation/debridement procedures and antibiotic treatment. She must have the implant removed and a spacer put in. Currently, she cannot straighten her leg or walk without assistance.
421. Craw v. Advanced Spine and Pain (filed September 17, 2019) – This case involves a patient who underwent a shoulder replacement. During the procedure, the surgeon severed an artery causing serious, life-threatening injuries. While in recovery, she developed a post-operative infection and a serious nerve injury that was not diagnosed. She was treated for over a year, had to have the shoulder prosthesis removed, and has permanent damage to her left arm, wrist, and hand.
422. Vaught v. Franklin Square Hospital (filed September 17, 2019) – A man presents to the emergency department where a CT scan shows a high-grade small bowel obstruction, however, the doctors fail to detect it and he is discharged. He returns two weeks later, and another CT scan is taken that is read correctly, however, surgery is not emergently performed. Additionally, his doctors fail to recognize he has developed sepsis. He ultimately undergoes multiple surgeries, abdominal washouts, debridements, and a tracheostomy.
423. Woodhouse v. Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group (filed September 17, 2019) – A man presents to four different doctors with severe wrist pain all of whom fail to diagnose a perilunate dislocation requiring surgical repair. Because of the delayed diagnosis, despite having the dislocation repaired he suffers extensive residual injuries that could have been avoided had the prior x-rays been read properly.
424. Wainwright v. Alice Manor (filed September 17, 2019) – While residing in a nursing home facility a resident develops multiple pressure ulcers that are not properly treated, some of which advance to stage 3 and stage 4. His ulcers prevented him from returning to his prior state of health and his condition worsened leading to his demise.
425. Baker v. Franklin Square Hospital (filed September 17, 2019) – A woman presents to the emergency department with severe abdominal pain. A CT scan is taken that indicates intestinal ischemia, including pneumatosis. These findings require immediate surgical intervention, however, the radiologist failed to interpret the scans correctly. Two days later a second CT scan is taken and read correctly. She is rushed to surgery; however, her condition had progressed beyond repair and she passed away.
426. Kozdras v. Cromwell Center (filed September 18, 2019) – A nursing home patient with Alzheimer’s develops a severe decubitus ulcer. Her condition readily deteriorated leading to her death.
427. Poet v. Baltimore Washington Medical Center (filed September 18, 2019) – This case involved a patient who suffered a bowel perforation during surgery that doctors failed to detect. The perforation was apparent on images taken, however, it was not caught until he was transferred to another hospital. He had to undergo multiple surgeries and ultimately needed permanent placement of an ileostomy and colostomy. As a result of his doctors’ failure to diagnose the perforation, he has suffered permanent injuries that could have been avoided.
428. Burgess v. Keswick MultiCare Center (filed September 18, 2019) – After suffering a fall, a man is admitted to a rehab center for strength and conditioning. While there, his condition noticeably declines. He is transferred to a hospital for further evaluation and is discharged to home hospice care where he passes away. It is determined he died from cerebrovascular disease.
429. Duke v. St. Joseph’s Medical Center (filed September 19, 2019) – While performing an angiogram procedure, a doctor elects to proceed to angioplasty without the patient’s consent. The patient develops complications from the angioplasty/stent procedure that ultimately causes his death.
430. Mascone v. Maryland Center for Periodontics and Dental Implants (filed September 19, 2019) – A dentist incorrectly places an implant in a patient’s mouth. The mistake is irreparable, and she had to have it surgically removed.
431. Dyson v. Dentist (filed September 20, 2019) – A dentist incorrectly places implants in a patient’s mouth of which were supposed to be ceramic but were titanium. The implants completely failed, and she developed a serious infection that went untreated until she sought a second opinion nearly a year later. She required extensive work to repair the damage.
432. Booth v. Stadium Place Nursing and Rehab Center (filed September 20, 2019) – A long-term care resident who is at a documented risk for choking and aspiration is not properly monitored and is permitted to keep candy and snacks in her room. She has two vomiting episodes and an ambulance is called for her. When picked up, she is in respiratory distress and dies from cardiac arrest during transfer. She died from respiratory arrest due to aspiration.
433. Dugan v. Johns Hopkins Hospital (filed September 23, 2019) – A mass is found and misdiagnosed as schwannoma when it is spindle cell carcinoma, a much more serious cancer that requires more extensive treatment. The patient is treated for schwannoma and led to believe she is cancer free. For the next five years, her cancer goes untreated until she has an MRI done. At this point, cancer spread to her liver, spine, sacral area, and sinuses. Sadly, her cancer was beyond being treatable and she succumbed to it a couple of months after being diagnosed.
434. Jones v. Choice One Urgent Care (filed September 23, 2019) – A woman presents to an Urgent Care where an EKG is misinterpreted as being normal. Three days later she presents to another doctor who reviews the EKG and determines it was abnormal indicating a heart attack. She is rushed to a catheterization lab where a total occlusion is found in her right coronary artery and treated. Since then, she has been unable to fully recover suffering permanent cardiac disabilities including cardiomyopathy.
435. Gray v. Dentist (filed September 23, 2019) – A dentist is supposed to place six implants in a patient’s mouth to support a full set of dentures. The patient pays in full for this procedure, however, the dentist only places two implants. As a result, when the dentures are delivered, they’re essentially useless because the two implants the dentist placed are insufficient to support a full denture set.
436. Swain v. Mid-Maryland Musculoskeletal Institute (filed September 24, 2019) – After having spinal surgery hardware was not properly utilized. Due to continuing pain, the patient seeks a second opinion where she learns of this and must have all the hardware removed. To this day, she suffers numbness in her toes and significant pain preventing her from normal sleep.
437. Lamone v. Dentist (filed September 24, 2019) – Over the course of 13 years, a dentist fails to provide adequate treatment to a patient. As a result, the patient suffers tooth decay, a canted occlusal plane, an unstable occlusal place, chipped teeth and exposed metal from failed implants, bone loss, and an abscess.
438. Roberts v. Shady Grove Orthopedics Associates (filed September 24, 2019) – While in rehab after having a hip replacement surgery the patient falls reinjuring the hip. The patient is advised that she is okay and should continue rehab. No further tests were ordered. A month later radiographs are taken that reveal an injury requiring surgical repair. During the surgery, the surgeon fails to adequately secure the artificial hip in place. As a result, the patient then must undergo additional surgery.
439. Grafton v. Northwest Hospital Center (filed September 24, 2019) – After having lower extremity amputations, a hospital does not take proper preventative measures for pressure ulcers. The patient develops two that go untreated and he passes away. An extensive decubitus ulcer was determined as a condition leading to his death from septic shock.
440. Morton v. Futurecare Homewood (filed September 25, 2019) – A nursing home resident develops multiple pressure ulcers that are not properly treated. The patient develops a sacral abscess, osteomyelitis, and septic shock as a result. She is eventually transferred to a hospital where she is treated but sadly passes away.
441. Diffenbaugh v. Franklin Square Hospital (filed September 26, 2019) – After having a liver biopsy no “after” scans are taken by the radiologist to check for bleeding. The patient suffers a liver injury from the biopsy that is not diagnosed. Had it been, the injury could have been repaired, however, it was not, and he tragically passed away.
442. Parker v. Greater Baltimore Medical Center (filed September 27, 2019) – A patient presents to the emergency department where testing is done that indicates she is in septic shock; however, a diagnosis is never made. Antibiotic treatment is not started until it is too late, and she passes away.
443. Lupinski v. Frederick Memorial Hospital (filed September 27, 2019) – A surgeon causes a bowel perforation while performing a cholecystectomy. Despite inspecting the patient’s bowel, the surgeon fails to recognize it. While in post-operative care, the patient’s condition readily deteriorates and he develops sepsis that is also not diagnosed. The surgeon performs an exploratory surgery where the perforation is discovered and repaired, however, it was too late. The patient passed away not long after.
444. Anne Arundel Medical Center v. Doctors (filed September 27, 2019) – This case involves a claim for indemnification by the hospital where a patient died from sepsis that allegedly could have been avoided had a diagnosis been made sooner. This claim is made against the doctors and a nurse who cared for the patient leading up to her death. The case this claim is made for was filed on May 8, 2019 and was the 219th medical malpractice claim filed this year.
445. Featherstolzenbach v. Greater Baltimore Medical Center (filed September 30, 2019) – While having a hysterectomy, the surgeon lacerates the patient’s ureter and leaves part of a stent inside her. While recovering, the patient initially showed no signs of complications. A couple of weeks after she had vaginal discharge and abdominal pain. CT images revealed the ureteral laceration, a retained ureteral stent, and likely ureterovaginal fistula. She was forced to undergo multiple procedures to repair her injuries and since then has continued to suffer abdominal pain, urinary tract infections, and other complications.
446. Knowles v. Mercy Medical Center (filed September 30, 2019) – Two surgeons perform two complex spinal surgeries on a patient who had recently had three spinal fusion surgeries. There were no indications the additional procedures were necessary. These unnecessary procedures caused the patient to sustain worsening pain, significantly diminished mobility, and she is now permanently disabled. She will also likely require further surgical procedures.

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