Woman Gets $14 Million For Stroke During Cardiac Surgery

Woman Gets $14 Million For Stroke During Cardiac Surgery

Introduction

A West Seattle woman was awarded nearly $14 million in a medical malpractice lawsuit filed against Seattle Children's Hospital and Children's University Medical Group.

According to Seattle Times reports, the jury ruled that the doctors failed to prevent a stroke that left the victim unable to care for herself. In 2007, the victim underwent heart transplant surgery when she was 12. In 2013, doctors detected that a stent in her heart had fractured and needed a replacement for which another surgery was performed in 2014. During the procedure, the doctors realized they were running short of stents and were forced to prolong the procedure until they sought stents from the University of Washington Medical Center. Eventually, cardiologists completed the surgery in four hours using a different stent which left her on high risk for stroke. After the surgery, the victim showed symptoms of a stroke but was not tested for stroke for four hours, according to her attorneys. She suffered a variety of injuries including impaired cognitive function, speech, memory, and mobility.

Her parents filed a lawsuit against the hospital in October 2015, claiming negligence and medical malpractice. The jury verdict stated that the stroke was caused during the procedure, yet was not detected and treated on time. The jury found that the doctors who belonged to Children’s University Medical Group were negligent in her care, but the nurses employed by Seattle Children’s Hospital were not. The woman was awarded $10.95 million for future economic losses and $3 million in general damages.