Earlier this month after a two-week trial, a South Carolina medical malpractice wrongful death jury returned its verdict in the amount of $24 million against a radiologist whose negligence the jury found to be the cause of a patient’s death.
The South Carolina medical malpractice wrongful death lawsuit alleged that the 36-year-old husband and father of two young daughters had undergone an ablation procedure for atrial fibrillation after which he continued to experience symptoms. A CT angiogram was ordered to investigate the cause of his continuing symptoms. The lawsuit alleged that the radiologist who interpreted the CT angiogram negligently failed to identify an esophageal perforation and reported the result of the CT angiogram as normal. The man continued to experience symptoms and died 12 days later as a result of the esophageal perforation.
The South Carolina medical malpractice wrongful death jury found the radiologist was negligent for failing to timely identify and report the esophageal perforation on the images that the radiologist reviewed and instead reported the imaging as normal, thereby leading to the man’s death. The jury awarded $14,645,390 in noneconomic damages for the wrongful death claim. The interventional cardiologist who performed the ablation procedure reportedly settled the Estate’s claim for $1.2 million before trial.
Esophageal perforation as a complication of atrial fibrillation ablation occurs in 0.1% to 0.25% of atrial fibrillation ablation procedures. Delayed diagnosis of esophageal perforation is associated with the development of atrial-esophageal fistula (AEF) and increased mortality. The relationship between the esophagus and the left atrial posterior wall is variable, and the esophagus is most susceptible to injury where it is closest to areas of endocardial ablation.
Esophageal perforation is most commonly treated with early surgical management due to the high associated morbidity and mortality rates (20%–33% with iatrogenic perforations).
Esophageal perforation is often diagnosed late when a patient develops atrial-esophageal fistula
(AEF) leading to poor prognosis.
- AEF results from severe thermal or ischemic injury and exhibits high overall mortality rate of 63.16%.
- Esophageal ulcers typically occur hours to days post-ablation preceding AEF formation.
- Most common clinical presentations of AEF include fever, neurological symptoms, and chest pain/discomfort with mean onset of 30 ± 12 days post-ablation.
- Most patients with esophageal perforation developed AEF, 71%, while others had pericardial-esophageal fistula, 14%, and minority had no fistula formation, 14%.
CT imaging usually shows distinctive free air in mediastinum whereas MRI imaging can visualize cerebral air embolism. Diagnostic strategies for prompt identification and reduction of AEF remain limited and challenging due to the infrequent complication and delayed onset.
If you or a loved one suffered harm (or worse) as a result of the negligence of a radiologist in South Carolina or in another U.S. state, you should promptly find a South Carolina medical malpractice lawyer, or a medical malpractice lawyer in your state, who may investigate your radiologist malpractice claim for you and represent you or your loved one in a radiologist medical malpractice case, if appropriate.
Visit our website or call us toll-free in the United States at 800-295-3959 to find medical malpractice attorneys in your state who may assist you.
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