A 49-year old woman who had recently undergone knee surgery went to the emergency room on the advice of her physician in order to rule out a pulmonary embolism. Orders were issued by the ER physician to perform a CT angiogram of the chest with IC contrast. The ER nurse, unable to successfully insert an IV into the patient’s antecubital fossa, summoned a registry nurse, who started the IV in the patient’s right volar wrist. Before commencing the CT scan, the technologist rapidly infused contrast into the patient’s IV causing it to extravasate, causing a compartment syndrome and necessitating emergency surgery. As a result, the patient developed chronic neuropathic pain due to compartment syndrome. Dan Hodes with Hodes Milman represented the plaintiff, obtaining a $993,750 settlement for loss of earnings and medical expenses.
(Last Updated On: March 2, 2021)
