In early December 2024, a Maryland medical malpractice jury returned its verdict in the amount of $7.25 million for the death of a 23-year-old man due to being taken off his blood thinner by his hematologist, who advised him to take a baby aspirin instead. The man died in December 2021 in his bedroom at home while he was on a break from college, from a recurrent pulmonary embolism, five weeks after he discontinued using Pradaxa, a blood thinner, as instructed by his doctor.
In mid-2020, the man had experienced shortness of breath that led him to seek treatment at a local emergency room. He was diagnosed at that time with bilateral pulmonary emboli for which he was prescribed Pradaxa and Xarelto, which are blood thinner medications used to reduce the risk of developing blood clots. His medical history at that time also included obesity and hypertension.
In November 2021, the man was intending to have a benign lipoma removed from his face and sought surgical clearance from his doctor for the unscheduled surgery. The doctor noted that the man’s medical conditions had been improving and therefore discontinued his use of Pradaxa when his current prescription expired.
The Maryland medical malpractice wrongful death lawsuit filed by tne man’s parents and his estate argued that he should have been on Pradaxa indefinitely, and that it was a breach of the standard of care for the doctor to discontinue its use. The jury awarded $3.75 million to the man’s mother, $3 million to the man’s father, and $500,000 to the man’s estate. It is anticipated that the noneconomic damages awarded by the jury will be significantly reduced by the cap on noneconomic damages in Maryland medical malpractice cases.
The defendants (the doctor and his medical practice) disagreed with the jury’s verdict. Their medical malpractice defense attorney stated after the verdict, “The evidence and testimony illustrated the reasonableness of his care. Our jury system is one of the best ways to resolve disputes. Unfortunately, I believe this case was one of the rare situations where the jury’s verdict, which includes its award of damages, did not match up with the evidence and testimony.”
The defendant doctor reportedly moved to Denver in November 2024, where he joined another medical practice.
The label for Pradaxa warns: “Discontinuing anticoagulants, including PRADAXA, for active bleeding, elective surgery, or invasive procedures places patients at an increased risk of stroke. Lapses in therapy should be avoided, and if anticoagulation with PRADAXA must be temporarily discontinued for any reason, therapy should be restarted as soon as possible.”
If you or a loved one may have been injured (or worse) as a result of medical malpractice in Maryland or in another U.S. state, you should promptly find the best Maryland medical malpractice lawyer for you, or the best medical malpractice lawyer for you 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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