On April 7, 2026, the Iowa State Board of Appeals approved a $4.5 million medical malpractice settlement, in which liability was not admitted, regarding the death of a 31-year-old woman who died from cardiac arrest that led to an anoxic brain injury following a routine hysterectomy performed at the University of Iowa Health Care on May 24, 2022.
According to reporting, the woman, who had just received her nursing doctorate degree earlier in May 2022 and had been hired as a nurse practitioner in a hospital, was in stable medical condition after the surgery. She was provided a Dilaudid pump for postoperative analgesia and she had received epidural gabapentin before she was sent to recovery. Despite having risk factors, including being overweight and having a history of taking anti-anxiety medication, she was not provided oxygen or cardiac monitoring.
When a nurse checked on the woman later that night, she was found to be unresponsive and she did not have a pulse. A code blue was called and CPR was begun but she was not resuscitated until after she was given epinephrine twice. Subsequent imaging determined that the woman had suffered an anoxic brain injury after which further testing confirmed that she was brain dead.
The woman’s family provided a statement after the settlement was reached: “The world didn’t just lose a special person; they lost an unforgettable, life-changing soul that left her mark wherever she went. The world was cheated by only having her for 31 years. The family and friends of Jennifer Kennedy still mourn for her to this day. Her absence is felt not only by the family that no longer gets to grow old with her but also by the communities she ingrained herself with. We are reminded daily of Jennifer’s far-reaching impact by the friends and co-workers that still miss her, talk about her, and very much love her. Jennifer was part of an extensive family legacy of healthcare providers. Advocating for the safety of the patients under ‘our’ care was a privilege and duty that we and Jennifer never took lightly. It is profoundly disappointing that the healthcare system that should exist to protect the most vulnerable failed us so thoroughly. Although her death does not define her, we the family hope that her name, legacy and the issues surrounding her death will provide a better and safer patient experience here in Iowa.”
If you or a loved one suffered a serious injury (or worse) 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 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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