Jury deliberations are under way at trial over whether medical negligence caused a Georgia hospital patient’s profound brain damage…blog.cvn.com, Emory Healthcare Faces Trial Over Hospital Patient’s Severe Brain Injury, Arlin Crisco, June 2022
Jeni Carswell was admitted to Emory Johns Creek Hospital in June 2015, after she complained of severe abdominal pain. Carswell’s mother, Sharon Tatum, contends her daughter was three nights into her admission when staff checking on her for a morning blood draw discovered she was unresponsive and not breathing.
She maintains the staff treating Carswell failed to provide her with BiPAP breathing support, despite knowing she needed the device for her sleep apnea. Tatum also claims staff failed to continuously monitor Carswell’s breathing and pulse, despite her medical history and the fact that she was receiving medication known to depress breathing.
The incident caused severe brain damage that has left Carswell in a wheelchair and unable to care for herself, among a host of neurological issues.
Economic losses alone could run well over $35 million, according to estimates by the plaintiff in the case’s pre-trial order.