The firm represented a 47-year-old woman who was admitted to a community-based hospital in the Capital District for an elective thyroidectomy procedure. The client, who was otherwise in excellent health, chose to have the procedure due to a large goiter in her neck that caused her pain when swallowing. A complete thyroidectomy procedure results in the removal of the entire thyroid gland. The surgery itself was routine, but five hours after surgery, John’s client developed acute respiratory distress caused by postoperative bleeding in the neck. The bleeding started when a small blood vessel, which had been stitched closed during the surgery, slipped and started to bleed into the paratracheal space. The bleeding eventually caused a hematoma to develop. The hematoma grew until it completely compressed the woman’s trachea, which in turn caused her to go into respiratory arrest.
After a meticulous three-year investigation into the circumstances surrounding his client’s postoperative complications and the treatment provided by the hospital’s staff and attending physicians, John achieved a multi-million dollar settlement for his client. Most of the settlement proceeds will be secured in a special needs trust to be utilized by John’s client for rehabilitation and medical services. The client has already used some of the proceeds to purchase a wheelchair-accessible home along with a mechanized wheelchair.
To read more details on this case go to our blog post here. Basch & Keegan Settles Multi-Million Dollar Medical Malpractice Lawsuit
