$1,150,000 Settlement of a Wrongful Death Medical Malpractice Claim
Attorney Barry Eichen obtained a settlement in medical malpractice case resulting in the death of the plaintiff, Tejan Iyer. The plaintiff, Tejan Iyer, was seen by his primary care doctor in June of 2008 with jaundice and signs & symptoms of alcohol induced hepatitis. His primary care physician sent him to a local gastroenterologist who diagnosed him with alcohol induced hepatitis and sent him to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital for a workup. Upon admission to Robert Wood, the records revealed an extensive history of alcohol abuse and consumption. The attending gastroenterologist requested that a liver biopsy be performed to confirm the diagnosis and rule out a number of other conditions. The plaintiff’s initial blood work showed a substantial coagulopathy as his INRs were 3.27. As such, the biopsy was delayed as fresh frozen plasma was used to lower the INR to 1.66. Defendant Dr. Hazar Michael recommended the biopsy and suggested it to be performed via the trans-jugular route due to the high risk of bleeding. Ultimately, defendant Dr. Randall Siegle, an interventional radiologist, was called in to perform the biopsy. Instead of using the recommended trans-jugular approach, Dr. Siegle used a standard percutaneous approach. The plaintiff was released from the hospital the next day. He returned within 24 hours and was found to be suffering from bleeding from the biopsy site. The bleeding was unable to be controlled in light of the high INR’s and the plaintiff died.
Plaintiff asserted that defendant Dr. Hazar Michael deviated by ordering the biopsy in light of the clear nature of the diagnosis and the risk of bleeding. Plaintiff also alleged Dr. Siegle deviated by failing to use the trans-jugular approach which increased the risk of an uncontrolled bleeding as a percutaneous biopsy requires the piercing of the liver sac. Plaintiff’s counsel further argued that Mr. Iyer would have been placed on the liver transplant list and he would have been a good candidate with a substantial chance of survival to a normal life expectancy.