Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog
An appeals court isn’t letting a deceased doctor off the hook for his share of a Washington DC medical malpractice settlement owed to a woman who sustained serious injuries because anticoagulants were improperly administered to her. Per the court, the estate of Ronald Kurstin, MD must pay $1 million of a $2 million settlement.
The plaintiff, Rosalee Blue, was administered the heparin compound Lovenox during an abdominal hernia repair procedure at Sibley Memorial Hospital on April 2004. It was Dr. Kurstin who directed anesthesiologist Dr. John Lordan to give Blue the anticoagulant.
Unfortunately, the medication caused her to experience spinal bleeding and suffer permanent injuries, including impaired mobility and bladder and bowel dysfunction. Blue also continues to experience chronic pain.
Blue filed her DC medical malpractice complaint several months later. Per court documents, the drug manufacturer and the hospital both recommend that Lovenox not be given to a patient until several hours after surgery.
Lordan’s practice reached a $2M Washington DC anesthesia malpractice settlement with Blue. Even though Blue agreed to then release all claims against the surgeons, Lordan submitted a “contribution claim” against Kurstin, who died in 2006. The claim sought for Kurstin, who was a non-settling defendant, to contribute to the settlement.
Washington DC Medical Malpractice
It can be hard for a patient who is the victim of DC surgical malpractice to know exactly what happened. An experienced medical malpractice lawyer can help you figure out what happened as well as determine who should be held liable. Medical mistakes can result in devastating consequences for patients and there may be additional medical and recovery expenses, as well as lost wages, because of what happened to you. There may even be more than one medical professional who should be held liable.
Court Holds Surgeon Responsible for $1M Settlement Share, Outpatient Surgery.net, August 1, 2011
ESTATE OF KURSTIN v. LORDAN, DC Court of Appeals, July 21, 2011
Related Web Resources:
Medical Malpractice, Nolo
Enoxaparin Injection, NIH
More Blog Posts:
$20M Washington DC Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Over HIV Misdiagnosis Can Proceed, Says Appeals Court, Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog, July 21, 2011
Washington DC Paramedic Error Was a Factor in Fatal 2008 “Acid Reflux” Case, Reports Office of the Inspector General, Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog, June 8, 2011
Are Some Children Undergoing Unnecessary CT Scans?, Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog, May 11, 2011