$100,000 Cook County Jury Verdict for Late Diagnosis of Infection

Russell Kazda, 50, developed a splinter wound in his right pinky finger. A hand specialist, Dr. James Schlenker, performed a surgical procedure to remove the splinter. In doing so, Dr. Schlenker opened Kazda’s palm to examine his tendon. About a week after this procedure, Kazda returned to Dr. Schlenker and was diagnosed as having an infection in that finger, which required debridements and skin grafting. Kazda now has significant disfigurement on his ring and pinky fingers resulting from that infection, which spread to the rest of his hand.

Kazda filed a lawsuit against Dr. Schlenker and his practice in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill., maintaining that the doctor chose not to diagnose the infection and correctly prescribe IV antibiotics.

The lawsuit claimed that the infection, pyogenic flexor tenosynovitis, was already present before Dr. Schlenker performed the procedure to remove the splinter. The lawsuit also asserted that the follow-up appointment with Dr. Schlenker should have been scheduled for the day after the surgery, which would have prevented the infection from spreading to the rest of Kazda’s hand.

There was no claim for lost income in this lawsuit.

The jury signed a verdict for $100,000. The attorney successfully representing Kazda in this medical malpractice lawsuit was Christopher Jahnke. At trial, Kazda’s counsel presented an expert in plastic surgery.

Kazda v. Schlenker, No. 2013 L 065026 (Cook County, Ill.).

Kreisman Law Offices has been handling medical malpractice lawsuits, misdiagnosis of infection cases, traumatic brain injury lawsuits, birth trauma injury cases and hospital negligence lawsuits for individuals and families who have been harmed, injured or died as a result of the carelessness or negligence of a medical provider for more than 40 years in and around Chicago, Cook County and its surrounding areas, including Lincolnshire, Lemont, Morton Grove, Des Plaines, Deerfield, Antioch, Inverness, Chicago (South Shore, Kenwood, Hyde Park, East Side, Hegewisch, Ashburn, Englewood), Rolling Meadows, Wheaton, Aurora, St. Charles, Bolingbrook and Romeoville, Ill.