Wrongful Death – Post-Cesarean Complication Leading to Septic Shock
Settlement Amount: $2,725,000.00
Date of Settlement: First Day of Trial
Peter Chamas recovered $2,725,000.00 on the first day of trial for the family of a woman who passed away fifteen days after delivering her first child via cesarean section. This medical malpractice case involved the death of a 31-year-old woman. The decedent had a significant prior surgical history, including bariatric surgery with Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, and several subsequent abdominal operations to address internal hernias and adhesions. These factors placed her at elevated risk for complications involving bowel obstruction and ischemia.
Following her cesarean section, the patient experienced progressively worsening back pain, rising white blood cell counts, and episodes of confusion. Despite these developments, a surgical consultation was not obtained until three days post-delivery when she began vomiting. Imaging at that point suggested a possible small bowel obstruction and possible vascular compromise. Emergency surgery revealed an internal hernia and signs of bowel ischemia. Over the next eleven days, the patient underwent multiple additional surgeries that revealed progressive bowel necrosis, enterotomies, and peritonitis. She died from septic shock on the fifteenth day post-op.
Plaintiff’s experts opined that both the obstetric and surgical teams deviated from the accepted standard of care.
The defense asserted that the patient’s abdominal examinations were largely benign (e.g., normal bowel sounds, no guarding or rigidity), and her pain presentation was more consistent with musculoskeletal or neurologic causes than surgical abdomen. Therefore, surgical intervention before imaging was not indicated based on clinical findings.
Resolution: The case was resolved for $2,725,000.00 on the morning of trial. The settlement reflected the complex medical issues, the prolonged suffering endured by the decedent, and the plaintiff’s contention that earlier surgical intervention and a more aggressive intraoperative approach could have prevented her death.
