A jury in Baltimore has awarded more than $8 million to the family of a man who died following a routine endoscopy procedure.
According to an April 16 news release by Washington-based Nace Law Group, the 43-year-old patient underwent twilight sedation for a routine endoscopy for a bariatric surgery clearance. The patient’s oxygen saturation, respiration and heart rate dropped shortly after the procedure began. The law firm claims that the defendants did not respond appropriately for eight to 12 minutes.
The defendant anesthesiologist did not attempt intubation despite a “clear need” for it, according to the release. A second anesthesiologist then entered the procedure room and immediately performed intubation. The patient never regained consciousness and died days later due to a brain injury resulting from the lack of oxygen caused by airway mismanagement.
“This was a preventable death,” said Samantha Peters, one of the plaintiff’s attorneys, in the release. “While the verdict cannot return what the family lost, it does help bring a small measure of closure and accountability.”
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