Patient Dies Two Days Following Hip Surgery; Jury Reaches Not Guilty Verdict

A jury reached a not guilty verdict against defendant Dr. Glenn A. Woudenberg, Louis A. Weiss Memorial Hospital, Vanguard Health Systems and MN Anesthesia LLC in the death of a steelworker who underwent a right hip revision surgery and died two days later.

The case was reported in the Cook County Jury Verdict Reporter.

The steelworker, E.C., underwent surgery Oct. 9, 2007. He incurred $109,000 in medical bills. His estate contended that the death was caused by episodes of low blood pressure during the surgery, which led to an ischemic injury to the kidney, bowel and other vital organs.

The plaintiff’s expert, certified registered nurse anesthetist Charles Barton, testified that the defendant, Dr. Woudenberg, deviated from the standard of care by allowing E.C.’s mean arterial pressure to drop more than 20 percent from the preoperative baseline. Barton also criticized Dr. Woudenberg for failing to use pressors to keep E.C.’s blood pressure elevated and failing to monitor the central venous pressure.

The estate further maintained that Dr. Woudenberg was the apparent agent of Weiss Memorial Hospital. The defense asserted that the patient’s blood pressure was kept in a lower range in order to prevent additional bleeding, as he lost five units of blood during the surgery. Weiss also denied the agency allegation.

Chicago’s Kreisman Law Offices has been handling Cook County medical malpractice cases for individuals and families for more than 40 years in and around Chicago and surrounding areas, including Bensenville, South Holland, Orland Park, Harwood Heights, and Des Plaines, Ill.