Esmeralda Tripp, 42, suffered from atrial fibrillation (AFib) and was on Coumadin to manage her condition. While on this medicine, she experienced 17 instances of high INR (International Normalized Ratio). INR is a standardized number that is calculated in a laboratory. If a patient takes blood thinners, the INR is particularly important. INR is actually the timing mechanism for clotting. The prothrombin time, along with its derived measures of prothrombin ratio and international normalized ratio, are all used in evaluating the pathway of coagulation or blood clotting.
After the report of high INR, doctors prescribed Vitamin K, fresh frozen plasma or a discontinuation of the Coumadin.
After again understanding that she had high INR, Tripp went to the University of Arizona Medical Center. A resident physician, Dr. Olga Gokova, and her supervising physician suggested that Tripp take Profilnine, a prothrombotic.
Two hours after receiving an injection of the Profilnine, Tripp suffered a heart attack resulting from a blood clot in her coronary arteries. The blood clot caused her to experience oxygen deprivation, which led to profound brain damage. Today, she remains in a minimally conscious state.
Tripp sued the hospital alleging its resident and physician negligently prescribed Profilnine in violation of the hospital’s policy that this high-risk medication should be administered only to patients with life-threatening bleeding conditions or those undergoing emergency surgery.
The lawsuit brought by Tripp alleged that the resident and supervising doctor should have instead prescribed fresh frozen plasma, Vitamin K or a discontinuation of the Coumadin. There was no claim for lost income.
The jury’s verdict was $15 million.
The lawyers who successfully handled this case with fabulous results were Brian Snyder, David Wenner and Kevin Keenan.
David Wenner is an experienced Arizona trial lawyer who has amassed a legion of significant jury verdicts and settlements in Arizona and across the country. He also has been a pioneer in the development of understanding jury bias. His devotion to teaching trial lawyers around the country about the ways jurors make decisions and how to deal with biases has been his passion for more than 25 years. He currently practices in Phoenix, Az.
Tripp v. University of Arizona Medical Center, No. C 2014-4811 (Ariz. Super. Ct. Pima County, Oct. 30, 2017).
Kreisman Law Offices has been handling medical negligence cases, hospital negligence lawsuits, physician negligence cases, birth injury lawsuits, brain damage cases and wrongful death lawsuits for individuals, families and loved ones 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 Kenilworth, Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, Des Plaines, Evergreen Park, Arlington Heights, Round Lake Beach, Country Club Hills, Joliet, Bolingbrook, Lemont, New Lenox, Long Grove, Lockport, Mundelein, Chicago (Gladstone Park, Rosehill, Sheffield, Loyola Park, Edgebrook, Horner Park, Hyde Park, Koreatown, Lithuanian Plaza, New Town), Lincolnshire, Lisle, Highland Park, Morton Grove, Niles and Northbrook, Ill.
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