Surgical Negligence Causes Permanent Brain Damage

Case Overview

This case takes place California and involves a female patient who underwent a craniotomy. Post-op, the patient was found to have confusion, difficulty speaking, and was unable to read or write. The patient returned immediately to the OR. After this second surgery, the patient was transferred to the ICU for monitoring. Doctors followed up with extensive imaging studies of the patient’s brain, as well as observation of her behavior. Several days after the procedure, the patient was found to be less responsive, and additional imaging revealed the presence of a brain bleed. The patient was taken back to the OR, where she underwent an awake craniectomy to allow the brain to swell and ensure doctors could test her speech responses. It is alleged that the neurosurgeon drilled into the patient’s brain during the original procure.

Questions to the Neuroradiology expert and their responses

Do you routinely treat patients and perform the procedure similar to the one described in the case? Please explain your qualifications.

I routinely treat patients with subdural hematomas. I am a board-certified neurosurgeon with 15 years of experience post residency.

Have you ever had a patient develop the outcome described in the case? If so, please explain.

This outcome has not presented to me personally.

Are you able to review the records on behalf of the plaintiff and opine on causation?

This case is right in my area of expertise and I am glad to assist.

About the expert

This board certified neurological surgeon and academic has 14 years of academic appointments in the field of neurosurgery. He is a member of a number of many professional medical societies and national committees, and he has authored a vast body of medical publications, textbooks, and periodicals, and has been invited to give numerous presentations at numerous professional conferences. Currently, he is the Director of Endovascular Neurosurgery and an Associate Professor at a major medical school, and an attending neurosurgeon at 3 hospitals. This expert earned his BA at Yale University, his MD at the USC Keck School of Medicine, and his PhD at USC.