In late March 2024, after an eight-day trial, a Maryland medical malpractice jury returned its verdict in the amount of $8.3 million in favor of the family of a 53-year-old man who underwent surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center on May 29, 2019 during which the surgeon unknowingly perforated his colon, which was not discovered during the surgery, and which ultimately led to his death.
The Maryland medical malpractice complaint reportedly alleged that the man had surgery to remove one of his kidneys due to a growth in that kidney. The laparoscopic procedure was converted to an open procedure during the surgery. During the surgical procedure, the surgeon perforated the man’s bowel without discovering the injury before concluding the surgery. Shortly after the surgery, the man had low blood pressure and it was documented that there was a foul odor coming the surgical drain that had been placed during the procedure.
The man was brought to the operating room for exploratory surgery the next day during which a one-centimeter hole was discovered in his colon that was stated in the medical record to be “probably missed from blunt injury from an instrument.” The bowel perforation required that a segment of the man’s bowel be surgically removed. The man remained hospitalized until he died on July 22, 2019, from a perforated colon and multi-system organ failure.
The Maryland medical malpractice jury awarded $6 million for wrongful death and $2.3 million for the survival action. Maryland’s cap on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice claims will reduce the noneconomic damages award by approximately $1.3 million. The man had been married for 27 years as of the date of his death and was also survived by an adult son and the man’s parents.
The family’s Maryland medical malpractice lawyer stated after the verdict, “Our clients are grateful that the jury listened carefully to all of the evidence and held the defendants accountable for the loss of their husband, father and son. While nothing will bring Mr. Karavas back, the family now knows the truth about what happened and will have some sense of closure.”
A spokesperson for the University of Maryland Medical Center stated after the verdict that it is “committed to ensuring that every patient is treated with compassion, dignity and respect. We recognize that the Karavas family suffered a tragic loss, and this case understandably evoked a strong emotional response. Although we respect the jury’s verdict, we very much stand by the care delivered by our dedicated physicians and health care team.”
Source: The Daily Record
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