In September 2023, a Massachusetts medical malpractice wrongful death claim was settled for $2.5 million. The plaintiff had alleged that a hospital radiologist reported as normal an abnormal CT scan that showed a hematoma around the patient’s aorta. As a result of the radiologist’s wrong interpretation of the CT scan, the 73-year-old patient was admitted to the hospital for three days for treatment of bilateral pneumonia and pericarditis. Seven days after his discharge from the hospital, he was observed suddenly clutching his chest and collapsing. He was transported to the hospital, where he died.
An autopsy determined that the man had died from an aortic tear/leak that had ruptured in an area of his ascending aorta that had a 1 cm full-thickness defect in the same area as the hematoma that was seen on the chest CT performed during the original emergency room visit.
The Factual Allegations
The man had gone to the emergency room because he had tightness in his throat that was radiating into his jaw. He also complained of severe chest pain, nausea, and a witnessed syncopal episode. The differential diagnosis in the ER was pulmonary embolism, myocardial infarction, and/or aortic dissection. In order to rule out these potentially life-threatening conditions, a chest CT scan was ordered and performed. The radiologist who interpreted the chest CT scan erroneously reported the study as essentially normal without any abnormalities involving the aorta. In fact, the chest CT scan reportedly showed a large hematoma surrounding the ascending aorta that was highly suspicious for a hemorrhage originating from the aorta, and therefore required an immediate evaluation by a cardiothoracic surgeon. Instead, due to the radiologist’s erroneous reading of the chest CT scan images, the man did not have a surgical consult that allegedly would have resulted in prompt surgical repair of his aorta.
The settlement was reached with the radiologist’s medical malpractice insurance carrier prior to a lawsuit being filed.
About 1 in 3 physicians are sued over their course of their career, with radiologists “significantly” more likely to face litigation, according to data from the American Medical Association. The AMA reported that between 2020 and 2022, there were about 66 claims filed per 100 radiologists, and a total of 254 lawsuits across the specialty. About 30.8% of radiologists under 55 said they have been sued during their career, which increased to 52.1% for those older than 55.
If you or a loved one may have been injured (or worse) as a result of radiologist malpractice in Massachusetts or in another U.S. state, you should promptly find a Massachusetts medical malpractice attorney, or a medical malpractice attorney in your state, who may investigate your radiologist malpractice claim for you and represent you or your loved one in a radiologist medical malpractice case, if appropriate.
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