Jay Davis and Kara Grevey secured a defense verdict on behalf of an emergency room physician and his practice in a recent civil jury trial involving allegations of wrongful death. The case centered on claims of failure to diagnose a bowel obstruction with ischemic perforation in a patient who presented to the Emergency Department with abdominal complaints. The plaintiff alleged that the patient’s symptoms warranted hospital admission for decompression and/or possible surgery at the time of the emergency department evaluation. However, the defendant physician, after careful review of the patient’s presenting signs and symptoms, made the decision to discharge the patient. Approximately 21 hours after discharge, the patient experienced a bowel perforation and subsequently passed away. The defense maintained that the physician’s actions were in compliance with the standard of care. After careful consideration of the evidence presented over the week, the jury returned a verdict in favor of the defendant physician and his practice on all claims.
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