Katherine Decker, 70, went to University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics (“UIHC”) on December 12, 2018 for outpatient magnetic resonance imaging (“MRI”) of a suspicious mass in her breast. The initial MRI scans were performed without contrast dye during which Mrs. Decker was able to remain still. Then, UIHC medical staff intravenously administered a contrast dye, gadobutrol, after which Mrs. Decker began to move and then became completely still.
The Iowa medical malpractice wrongful death lawsuit alleges that eight minutes after the gadobutrol was administered, a code blue was finally called. The lawsuit alleges that during the next forty minutes, Mrs. Decker suffered heart rhythm irregularities and her condition deteriorated. UIHC medical staff administered various medications to resuscitate her, including epinephrine, and provided a total of seven shocks to her heart. The lawsuit alleges, “Mrs. Decker was coded for approximately 40 minutes, at which point she was sent to the emergency department. Mrs. Decker was pronounced dead at 10:48 a.m. on December 13, 2018.”
An autopsy reportedly determined that Mrs. Decker likely died of “anaphylactic reaction due to gadolinium exposure” that resulted in “brain injury” and other complications.
Mrs. Decker’s daughters alleged in their Iowa medical malpractice wrongful death lawsuit that UIHC and its employees breached the standard of care by failing to diagnose and treat their mother’s condition in a timely and proper manner, and further alleged that Mrs. Decker was not properly warned of the risks of the contrast dye used during the MRI.
The Iowa medical malpractice wrongful death lawsuit sought $99 million for loss of consortium and pain and suffering. On November 6, 2023, the Iowa State Appeal Board agreed to settle the lawsuit for $2 million, relying on an Iowa Attorney General review of jury verdicts for similar claims that reportedly ranged from $375,000 to almost $30 million – the average was $6.5 million. A recently enacted law in Iowa that limits noneconomic damages in medical malpractice cases did not apply in this case.
The settlement amount will be paid by UI Physicians, which owns an insurance company established to provide its physicians with medical malpractice coverage. UI Physicians reportedly had paid $4.3 million in 2023 as of the date of the $2 million settlement in this case. UI Physicians has an annual cap of $15 million, along with a per-claim cap that was recently raised from $5 million to $6 million.
If you or a loved one may have been harmed as a result of medical negligence in Iowa or in another U.S. state, you should promptly find an Iowa medical malpractice lawyer or a medical malpractice lawyer in your state who may investigate your medical malpractice claim for you and represent you or your loved one in a medical malpractice case, if appropriate.
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