$1,000,000 Settlement for Wrongful Death of 67 Year Old Husband For Failing To Appreciate Signs and Symptoms Of A Cardiac Tamponade
The Plaintiff was a 67-year old married man who passed out at home and was taken to an emergency department by ambulance. He was diagnosed with complete heart block and underwent the placement of a pacemaker. Following the insertion of the pacemaker, the man developed chest pain and then the pacemaker stopped functioning. Throughout the evening and night, in addition to continued chest pain, the man’s blood pressure dropped, he developed nausea and vomiting and shortness of breath. The Hospital’s nurses failed to notify the cardiologist of these changes. In the early morning, the man cardiac arrested. During the course of resuscitation, he was diagnosed with a cardiac tamponade secondary to one of the pacemaker wires perforating the heart. As a result of the cardiac arrest, the man suffered irreversible brain damage, was ultimately disconnected from life support and subsequently died. The defendants offered arbitration. The case settled for $1,000,000.