Man Claims Surgery Results In Loss of Hand Capabilities in San Francisco Medical Malpractice Case, Part 1 of 4

The following blog entry is written to illustrate an example of a medical malpractice case. Reviewing this kind of lawsuit should help potential plaintiffs and clients better understand how parties in personal injury cases present such issues to the court. It is worth noting that situations similar to those described in this medical malpractice case could just as easily occur at any of the healthcare facilities in the area, such as Kaiser Permanente, UCSF Medical Center, San Francisco General, California Pacific Medical Center, or St. Francis Memorial Hospital.

(Please also note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this personal injury case and its proceedings.)

INJURIES: Based on Serri’s claimed disability, his vocational rehabilitation and hand experts opined that he would be unable to return to his trade and his only vocational options were as an apartment manager or a service station attendant.

Facts:

On April 7, 2006, plaintiff Simon Serri, 53, a millwright, underwent surgery by orthopedic surgeon Aaron Stevens at San Francisco Hospital to correct flexor tendonitis, or trigger finger, in his right middle finger.

On May 26, an MRI confirmed that the flexor digitorum superficialis and the flexor digitorum profundus had ruptured in his right middle finger approximately 2.4 cm from the metacarpal joint.

For more information you are welcome to contact Sacramento personal injury lawyer, Moseley Collins.

Serri sued Stevens for medical malpractice, alleging that both tendons were severed during surgery.

Serri claimed that he was originally referred to Stevens by his primary care physician for consultation involving a workers’ compensation claim for a crush injury to his dominant left hand. Pending authorization of that appointment on March 6, Serri requested that Stevens evaluate his right-hand trigger-finger symptoms. Stevens gave Serri a cortisone injection and Serri returned on March 30, reporting that the symptoms had not resolved. Serri claimed that Stevens’s examination confirmed that Serri’s finger was still triggering and that Stevens recommended release surgery. The surgery took place on April 7 without incident and with the triggering noted as resolved.

On April 17, Serri returned for a post-operative evaluation, which revealed good motion without triggering, and that the wound healed with no evidence of infection. The stitches were removed and Serri was released.

For more information you are welcome to contact Sacramento personal injury lawyer, Moseley Collins.

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