Heyl Royster

Denning and Orsi Secure Defense Verdict for Surgeon

Posted on December 9, 2022 at 12:00 AM by Michael Denning, Michael Orsi

Just two weeks after completing a complex and high-stakes trial for a radiologist in Iowa, Mike Denning and Mike Orsi secured a defense verdict on behalf of a bariatric surgeon in northern Illinois following a week-long jury trial. The plaintiff presented to the surgeon for reversal of a bariatric surgery procedure, hernia repair, and fundoplication. After the completion of this laparoscopic procedure, the patient arrived in the post-anesthesia care unit with signs of hypotension and potential splenic bleeding. The surgeon took the patient back to the operating room for an emergency open procedure and found 4 liters of blood in the abdominal cavity. He quickly and decisively removed the patient’s spleen and closed the incision. After closure, there was evidence that the patient was bleeding again, necessitating a second attempt to tie off the splenic artery. The patient underwent a lengthy hospitalization and developed pulmonary emboli, which were treated successfully after discharge.
 
The plaintiff claimed that the surgeon failed to identify and appropriately treat intraoperative and postoperative bleeding. The defense proved that the surgeon encountered known complications of this surgery and handled them decisively and appropriately.
 
The plaintiff asked the jury for more than $3 million in closing argument, and after less than an hour, the jury returned a complete defense verdict.
 
This trial caps a busy and successful year of jury trials for our northern Illinois professional liability attorneys, including Mike Denning, Mike Orsi, Lindsey D’Agnolo, and our partner in Chicago, Andrew Roth.

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