Patient Suffers Severe Shoulder Injury During Surgery

Case Overview

This case takes place in California and involves a male patient who, while working in shipbuilding for many years, developed a painful condition in his right arm and shoulder that impaired his ability to move. The patient was diagnosed with severe thoracic outlet syndrome in his arm, and the thoracic surgeon treating him recommended that he undergo surgery to rectify the condition. Surgery was performed as recommended. During the procedure, the surgeon caused negligent damage to structures in the patient’s shoulder, thereby subjecting him to symptoms which include severe pain and significant difficulty swallowing food. The thoracic surgeon in question has claimed that these injuries could be rectified through a further surgical procedure.

Questions to the Cardiothoracic Surgery expert and their responses

Do you routinely perform the surgery described above?

I routinely perform surgeries like the one described in this case overview. In my daily practice, I perform a variety of thoracic surgeries, such as arterial, venous, and neurogenic Thoracic outlet syndrome surgeries.

If so, have you ever had a patient develop a similar outcome?

I need to see the charts to determine exactly what happened because there are a variety of issues that can occur during the described procedure, specifically in the way it was performed on this patient. That said, based on the injuries documented, it appears there was a surgical error.

Have you ever served as an expert witness on a case involving this procedure?

I would be happy to review this matter on behalf of the plaintiff.

About the expert

This Board Certified Thoracic Surgeon has been practicing medicine for over 10 years. He is a member of the Society of Thoracic Surgery, the International Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery, and the Association of International Vascular Surgeons, making his practice well rounded in thoracic surgery. He is the former Medical Director of Thoracic Surgery at Century City and a former Clinical Instructor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at UCLA Medical Center. Currently, he is the attending thoracic surgeon at his own private practice.