What other physicians are saying about The Expert Witness Newsletter: "Reading your material has definitely shaped my documentation & my approach to the undifferentiated patient." - Dr. Emily Hamburg-Shields A 65-year-old man presented to a pain management clinic for low back pain. He was seen by Dr. F, who is a board certified anesthesiologist and pain management physician. He underwent an uneventful lumbar epidural steroid injection. Four days later he developed fever, weakness and confusion. He was found to have a brain abscess and severe hydrocephalus. He was transferred to an academic medical center, where an EVD was placed with frank purulent discharge. He died several days later.
No wonder it was settled and not taken to trial. On one hand, a bad and sad outcome for Pt. On other hand, the plaintiff side is arguing that the physician should have willingly gone against an explicit statement in the CHG package insert. I cannot reconcile this as in our practice we use betadine for ESI and LP given the CHG package insert statement.
What exactly does it mean when a settlement is reached? Does that mean that the patient's family and the hospital negotiated a dollar amount as compensation for the patient's death?
I don't quite understand. What was the malpractice?
No wonder it was settled and not taken to trial. On one hand, a bad and sad outcome for Pt. On other hand, the plaintiff side is arguing that the physician should have willingly gone against an explicit statement in the CHG package insert. I cannot reconcile this as in our practice we use betadine for ESI and LP given the CHG package insert statement.
What exactly does it mean when a settlement is reached? Does that mean that the patient's family and the hospital negotiated a dollar amount as compensation for the patient's death?
I don't quite understand. What was the malpractice?