Sommers Schwartz attorney Andy Dragovic secured a $3.6 million settlement in a medical malpractice case arising from the negligent placement of a central venous catheter (CVC), resulting in the patient suffering a devastating stroke.

The patient was admitted to the hospital via the emergency department for a diabetic emergency. It was determined that a central venous catheter (CVC), also known as a central line, would be needed to monitor the patient’s hemodynamic instability and to administer medications. This would be performed under ultrasound guidance. The lawsuit alleged that, unfortunately, the catheter ended up in the arterial system instead of the venous system, ultimately being placed within the patient’s carotid artery. This, it was alleged, led to a clot forming around the catheter tip, which then broke off and travelled to the patient’s brain, causing a stroke. The patient required emergency thrombectomy surgery. Despite the intervention and rehabilitation, the stroke left the patient with permanent deficits on his left side. The defendants heavily contested liability; their experts claimed that injury to the vessel during CVC placement is a well-recognized risk, inherent in the procedure, and, given the patient’s hemodynamic instability, it would have been a particularly difficult central line to place. The defense also contested the extent of Plaintiff’s injuries and future care requirements.