A prostate malpractice verdict of $4.3 million in favor of the plaintiff was recently upheld in the Supreme Court of Missouri. Learn more about this medical malpractice case, as well as more about prostate malpractice, in our blog.
Prostate Malpractice: $4.3M Verdict in Medical Malpractice Suit
The case involved a 36-year old man who was diagnosed with a prostate abscess by a defendant urologist on May 11, 2009. The urologist gave him antibiotics for treatment. 4 days later, the man returned to the defendant urology practice, where he was examined by another urologist. This urologist determined that the process abscess should be drained, but did not implement this treatment, opting instead to continue the antibiotic regimen.
2 days later, the prostate abscess ruptured. The urologist who had first examined the man then performed surgery to allow the abscess to drain. However, the infection caused by the rupture spread to his penis, scrotum, pelvis, and perineum. Following the rupture, he was in a coma and on a mechanical ventilator for 28 days.
As a result of the prostate malpractice, the man now has permanent urinary incontinence and reproductive damage, as well as permanent pain.
Verdict Upheld by Missouri Supreme Court
The trial jury’s verdict of $4.3 million was appealed by the defense, who argued that the verdict was excessive on a number of counts. The appeal made it to the state’s Supreme Court, which found the verdict not to be excessive and rejected the appeal.
Prostate Malpractice
This is just one example of how prostate malpractice can occur. Another instance in which malpractice related to prostate treatment can occur is with a failure to diagnose prostate cancer. More than 240,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year. Unfortunately, misdiagnosis of prostate cancer is possible, which may result in medical malpractice. If you believe that your prostate cancer was misdiagnosed, contact the Snyder Litigation team today for consultation.