A woman in Delaware was recently awarded $3.4 million in a medical malpractice verdict after an unnecessary leg surgery left her with significantly limited function in her left leg.
The woman first saw the defendant, a plastic surgeon, in 2009, stating that she was suffering from an aching left knee and a tingling sensation in her left foot’s toes. The surgeon’s website specifically states that he dedicates "a significant portion of his practice to peripheral nerve surgery in the lower extremities," the aim of which is to "relieve peripheral nerve compressions" that can cause the symptoms the plaintiff was experiencing.
The defendant performed a total of nine procedures on nerves in the left leg of the plaintiff in 2010. Shortly after she began experiencing severe pain and cramping. Four months after the surgery, the woman could not walk far or stand long. The defendant himself noted that he was not sure what the woman had been experiencing was nerve pain. Different doctors later diagnosed the woman with a regional pain syndrome that was so severe that amputation of the leg was considered.
In court, the plaintiff’s attorney stated that the standard of care had been breached because the defendant surgeon had performed the procedure event though "diagnostic testing allegedly did not reveal a nerve problem that could be corrected by surgery," according to medicalmalpracticelawyers.com. The jury agreed, and awarded the woman a total of $3.4 million in damages to compensate her for loss of income, medical expenses, and pain and suffering.