This past Wednesday, an jury returned a $6.2 million medical malpractice personal injury verdict against Shands Hospital in favor for the family of a University of North Florida Business School professor who died in 2002 from complications arising after a gastric bypass surgery. He was only 41 and is survived by his wife and 10-year-old son.
There were no complications or medical malpractice during Mr. Fine’s operation, but 5 days after he developed alarming breathing problems. His medical provider ordered a CT scan of his lungs. En route, he informed the CT technicians that he felt like he was dying and said that he would have trouble breathing if he lay flat. The technicians apparently disregarded this information and strapped him down to the CT table. He had to stay in this position for an undisclosed amount of time while the technicians prepared the scan. During the 4 minute CT scan, Fine died.
The medical malpractice and wrongful death victim's widow filed a wrongful death and medical malpractice lawsuit against Shands Hospital. Her wrongful death lawyer stated "They did not check his oxygen saturation levels, nor did they call in a radiologist to check Mr. Fine". The cause of Fine's death is listed as cardiac arrhythmia – which is when a heart stops because of lack of oxygen.
The lack of appropriate equipment in the scanning room – not to mention the lassitude of the medical staff - was the cause of this regrettable and preventable death resulting from medical malpractice.
