Surgical Malpractice Case Ends with $2.2 Million Verdict

The widower of an Indiana woman who died from complications after a surgical pad was left inside her body was awarded a verdict of $2.2 million for her wrongful death.

The unnamed patient had a history of a fatty liver and was in need of a liver transplant at the time she underwent heart bypass surgery and a valve replacement.  Although the surgery was successful, a surgical pad was accidently left inside the patient when she was closed up.  It took nearly a month to discover the foreign object, at which point the pad had become adhered to her heart.
The patient then underwent further surgery to remove the pad which caused multiple perforations to her heart.  She suffered a slow death over the course of five long weeks, due to multiple organ failure.

Much debate in the surgical malpractice case surrounded the patient’s already failing health at the time of the surgical error.  She was only 68 years old, however her life expectancy was significantly decreased due to her liver disease, heart disease and other conditions from which she suffered.

In the end, the jury in the trial placed a value of $2.2 million on the woman’s wrongful death.  This amount will be reduced to $1.25 million, the state damages cap in Indiana.