We represented a general surgeon and his practice in a medical malpractice action for an injury to a pulmonary artery, resulting in a cardiac tamponade and sternotomy, during the placement of a central venous catheter (CVC). Plaintiff was receiving the CVC to begin chemotherapy for a recently diagnosed cancer. Plaintiff claimed that the surgeon negligently performed the procedure, resulting in the patient to suffer a cardiac arrest and cardiac tamponade and requiring an emergent sternotomy. We successfully presented evidence that our client was the only physician to appropriately diagnose the patient’s cancer, and that within a month, he had not only diagnosed, but also scheduled the CVC procedure to start treatment. We also demonstrated that our client appropriately performed the procedure, and his immediate recognition and reaction to the complication saved the Plaintiff’s life. The jury returned a defense verdict.
