The plaintiff, age fifty-one, was admitted to the defendant hospital for revision of an implantable morphine pump used to control pain due to a pre-existing back injury.

Prior to the plaintiff's discharge from the hospital, defendant nurse removed the right subclavian catheter central venous line that had administered medication to the plaintiff. After removal of the IV line the plaintiff sustained a stroke. The plaintiff claimed that the removal of the IV line while the plaintiff was seated in an upright position caused an air embolus which resulted in a right frontal lobe infarction.

Prior to trial, the defendants admitted negligence in the training of its nurse, violation of policy and procedures regarding removal of the IV line and negligence by the nurse in removal of the IV line. The defendants did not admit that removal of the IV line was the legal cause of the stroke and argued that the blood clot was due to a dilated cardiomyopathy.

According to a report, a $3,826,991.23 verdict was returned. A confidential post-trial settlement was reached.

With permission from Medical Malpractice Verdicts, Settlements & Experts; Lewis Laska, Editor, 901 Church St., Nashville, TN 37203-3411, 1-800-298-6288.