Lucas County (Ohio) Court of Common Pleas
A 27-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital for a scheduled cesarean, which resulted in a normal delivery. The following evening, the patient developed a fever and a drop in blood pressure. The next morning it was noted that she had a severe left shift in her white blood count (WBC). After diagnosing group A sepsis, the physician administered an antibiotic. The woman then went into a coma and died 5 days later.
In suing, the woman’s family alleged that the physician failed to diagnose and treat her condition in a timely fashion, delaying diagnosis for 6 hours and antibiotic treatment for 8 hours.
The obstetrician contended that this type of aggressive infection was rare and usually fatal.
- The case settled for $1.5 million.