New York Hospital Ordered to Pay $17M for Injury to Mother During Caesarean

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Legal Newsline reports that A New York jury ordered Strong Memorial Hospital to pay a former patient more than $17 million in a medical malpractice lawsuit. The case involved a woman who claimed a Caesarean delivery damaged her organs.

"Her attorneys claimed that because of poor planning, doctors at the Rochester, N.Y., hospital cut the connection between her pancreas and bladder during the Caesarean delivery, causing pancreatic fluid and urine to leak into her abdominal cavity. The acidic fluid burned her organs, ate through her abdominal wall and required doctors to remove her pancreas, the Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle reported."

Jury Awards $4.45M for Medical Malpractice by ER Doc in Indiana

HAMMOND, IN — The Times of Munster Indiana (May 20, 2008) reports that a jury awared $4.45 million to a family after finding an emergency doctor responsible for medical malpractice in the death of 45-year-old man who "died of an abdominal aortic aneurysm about 12 hours after being discharged from St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago." Read the full article for details.

State Roundup: Medical Malpractice Laws

Louisiana: The Louisiana House rejected legislation that would have expanded coverage under the state's medical malpractice laws, reports the Baton Rouge Advocate. At issue was language that included in the definition of malpractice, "problems that occur when transporting or monitoring patients as well as failure to attend to patients' personal hygiene," according to the Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report — source for this article. Opponents said such legislation would allow overburden the system with nursing home negligence as medical malpractice.

Tennessee: The Tennessee state Senate approved legislation to make frivolous medical malpractice lawsuits more difficult to file, the Tennessean reports. The bill now moves to Gov. Phil Bredesen (D) to be signed into law. The legislation would require attorneys to have a qualified medical expert sign off on the merits of any malpractice case within 90 days of filing suit.

Oregon: The Insurance Journal reports that the Oregon Supreme Court has upheld a five-year statute of limitations on medical malpractice lawsuits involving minors.