Unnecessary Surgery Causes Permanent Injury

Unnecessary Surgery Leaves Mother With Foot Drop

$1,000,000

Litigation Type - Hospital Negligence

Client Injury - Permanent Foot and Back Injury

Our client, a 25 year old mother, underwent left L4-L5 and L5-S1 microdiscectomies recommended by her neurosurgeon. As she was recovering from the anesthetic, the nursing staff determined that she could not move her left foot. Her neurosurgeon had already left town for the weekend, so the on-call neurosurgeon performed an exam which revealed that she had left foot drop and left L5 weakness, numbness and paresthesias. A MRI revealed a fluid collection within the L4-L5 epidural space and extending into the laminectomy bed which was severely compressing the nerve roots. The on-call neurosurgeon performed an emergency "re-do" of the microdiscectomies and discovered that the original neurosurgeon had placed fat in the laminectomy site to prevent scar formation.

Paul Schweiger hired an expert neurosurgeon who opined that our client required surgery only at L5-S1 and that the surgery performed at L4-L5 was unnecessary. The expert also opined that the fat placed by the neurosurgeon was placed in such a manner as to compress the L5 nerve root and that this caused permanent injury to the L5 nerve root. The on-call neurosurgeon agreed that the fat placement had compressed the L5 nerve root.

Our client still suffers from permanent left foot drop, left lower extremity numbness and paresthesias and significantly worse lower back pain than she experienced before the surgery.

Paul Schweiger settled her case for $1,000,000.

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Unnecessary Surgery Leaves Mother With Foot Drop

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