$75 Million Verdict For Locked-In Syndrome: Earlier this month, a Georgia medical malpractice jury returned its verdict in favor of a medical malpractice plaintiff who suffered locked-in syndrome due to the medical negligence of the ER physician and a radiologist who failed to timely diagnose his brainstem stroke that he suffered during a chiropractic procedure in October 2015.
The Georgia medical malpractice jury found the defendant ER physician to be 60% liable and the defendant radiologist to be 40% liable for the verdict that included $29 million for medical expenses and $46 million in other damages. The other named defendants were found to have not caused or contributed to the 32-year-old’s catastrophic injuries.
The Georgia medical malpractice plaintiff alleged that the imaging taken in the emergency room showed that he had suffered a brain stem stroke but the defendant radiologist failed to diagnose the injury and the stroke was not diagnosed until the second day in the hospital. The plaintiff alleged that the delay caused the stroke to progress to the point that he suffered locked-in syndrome that prevents him from voluntarily using his muscles except for the muscles controlling his eye movements.
Locked-In Syndrome (LiS)
According to the Cleveland Clinic, Locked-in syndrome (LiS) is a rare neurological disorder characterized by paralysis of voluntary muscles, except for those that control vertical eye (up and down) movements. People with locked-in syndrome are conscious, alert and have their usual cognitive abilities (thinking and reasoning), but they are unable to show facial expressions, speak or move. The most common cause is ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke affecting the corticospinal, corticopontine and corticobulbar tracts in the brainstem.
People with LiS can hear and typically communicate through purposeful eye movements, blinking or both. They can also use assistive technologies to communicate.
Locked-in syndrome is caused by damage to a specific part of the brainstem known as the pons. The pons is a broad horseshoe-shaped mass of nerve fibers that connects the medulla oblongata (the lowest portion of the brainstem) with the cerebellum (a part of the brain that plays a vital role in virtually all physical movement, particularly coordination). Damage to the pons results in interruption of all the nerves running from the brain, through the spinal cord and to the body’s muscles, which results in body paralysis. The damage to the pons also affects the centers in the brainstem that are important for facial control and speaking, which prevents making facial expressions, chewing, swallowing, and talking.
There is no cure or specific treatments for locked-in syndrome other than treating the cause and preventing further complications, if possible. Management of locked-in syndrome includes supportive therapy and communication training.
If you or a loved one may have been injured (or worse) as a result of hospital medical malpractice in Georgia or in another U.S. state, you should promptly find a Georgia medical malpractice lawyer, or a medical malpractice lawyer in your state, who may investigate your hospital medical malpractice claim for you and represent you or your loved one in a hospital medical malpractice case, if appropriate.
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