Justia Lawyer Rating for Robert D. Kreisman

by

Doe, 42, suffered a syncopal episode at a gym. He went to a hospital where a physician recommended a CT scan. Doe declined, attributing his condition to an energy drink that he had recently consumed. Within the week, Doe consulted Dr. Roe complaining of severe headaches. Dr. Roe prescribed a proton pump inhibitor and diagnosed gastritis.

A few days later, Doe suffered a ruptured aneurysm, which left him with permanent brain damage. He is now nonverbal and requires 24-hour support.

The lawsuit against Dr. Roe and medical group alleged that they chose not to order timely diagnostic imaging. The defendants argued that the aneurysm was unforeseeable.
Continue reading

by

Doe, 49, experienced severe back and shoulder pain. He went to an ER where he was administered pain medication. His pain remained severe over the next eight hours. Although blood work showed evidence of a serious infection, Doe remained in the ER waiting to be transferred to a floor.

Earlier the same night, Doe told the nurse that he could not raise his right hand. He underwent a CT scan, which showed abnormal fluid collection in the retropharyngeal area. These findings were reported to the treating ER doctor. Several hours later, Doe underwent an MRI. Shortly after the MRI, Doe suffered cardiac arrest. He died later that night. He was survived by his wife and two minor children.

The lawsuit against the treating physician and physician assistant alleged that they chose not to diagnose timely and treat Doe’s infection. The estate of Doe alleged that he had suffered from an undiagnosed staph infection, which began as an abscess in his retropharyngeal region. It was alleged that had Doe been administered antibiotics, he would have survived.
Continue reading

by

Maria Ocasio had an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography at a hospital. While under anesthesia, she suffered sedation-induced respiratory depression and hypoxia, which led to cardiopulmonary arrest and catastrophic brain damage that left her in a vegetative state.

Ocasio’s estate sued Meriden-Wallingford Anesthesia Group P.C. and the estate of a treating employee physician, alleging that the doctor and a CRNA improperly administered an excessive amount of propofol to Ocasio and chose not to treat her hypoxia, properly monitor her vital signs and finally resuscitate her.

Propofol is an intravenous sedative and anesthetic primarily used for inducing and maintaining anesthesia during surgical procedures and for providing sedation for critically ill patients. The use of propofol carries risks of side effects like hypotension, respiratory depression, and with prolonged use, something called a propofol infusion syndrome.
Continue reading

by

Simeon Srebrov went to an urgent care center where he complained of coughing and shortness of breath. The family physician, Dr. Celeste Galizia, diagnosed rapid atrial fibrillation.

Dr. Galizia prescribed metoprolol and an antibiotic and instructed Srebrov to follow up with his primary care physician. He subsequently suffered a stroke, which left him with permanent brain and motor deficits.

Srebrov sued Dr. Galizia and Alexian Brothers Ambulatory Group, which allegedly staffed medical personnel at various Chicago-area facilities. His suit, Srebrov alleged that Dr. Galizia had chosen not to take a thorough history and include heart failure in her differential diagnosis.
Continue reading

by

Ms. Doe, age 73, fell and fractured her hip. She underwent hip surgery performed by Dr. Roe, an orthopedic surgeon at an area hospital. The next day, Ms. Doe was able to bear weight, and her sensory examination allegedly was normal.

A day later, however, Ms. Doe developed leg weakness. Dr. Roe allegedly evaluated Ms. Roe as did a hospitalist, who ordered a neurology consultation. Dr. Roe also ordered a STAT CT of the lumbar spine, and a radiology group interpreted as showing no fracture.

The day after that, Ms. Doe underwent a STAT MRI, which revealed spinal hematoma. Despite the surgery, Ms. Doe was left with paralysis.
Continue reading

by

Steven Rosen experienced severe disability after surgery for a herniated disk in the lower part of his neck. Several years later, he consulted a neurosurgeon, Dr. Harshpal Singh, who subsequently operated on Rosen’s cervical spine.

During the procedure, Dr. Singh allegedly noted that Rosen’s left C8 nerve root was not visible and had been transected or cut transversely.

Despite the second surgery, Rosen’s condition worsened. He is now 74 years old and needs ongoing pain management. Rosen and his wife filed suit against Dr. Singh and the New Jersey Brain & Spine Center, alleging medical negligence. The Rosen family asserted that the surgery was performed improperly, and that the physician caused serious injury to Rosen’s C8 nerve root.
Continue reading

by

Ms. Doe underwent a tummy tuck performed by Dr. Roe, a plastic surgeon. During the procedure, Dr. Roe allegedly found a lipoma that he attempted to remove by way of liposuction. The attempt was unsuccessful, but Dr. Roe finished the procedure.

Ms. Doe suffered severe pain over the next week despite her use of narcotics. She later went to a hospital where exploratory surgery revealed two large bowel perforations. Ms. Doe required 11 additional surgeries.

Ms. Doe sued Dr. Roe, alleging that he had negligently perforated her bowel during the tummy tuck and had mistaken her bowel for a lipoma. A lipoma is a slow-growing fatty lump that most often is situated between the skin and underlying muscle layer. Lipomas are slow-growing and usually harmless.
Continue reading

by

Jason Berkoben, 48, went to the FasterCare Kittanning Urgent Care, complaining of shortness of breath. A doctor there noted that Berkoben was obese, wheezing and unable to speak in complete sentences.

The examining doctor ordered a chest x-ray and later diagnosed Berkoben as having COPD and emphysema.

Berkoben was discharged following instructions to see his primary care physician. Unfortunately, less than two hours later, he suffered a fatal cardiac arrest. He was survived by his father.
Continue reading

by

Sheryl Jones, 60, had a history of emphysema and smoking. When she experienced shortness of breath, she went to a hospital where physician Dr. Lawrence Segal ordered a computed tomography angiography (CTA) of the chest with contrast.

The results of the CTA showed a lesion on her right upper lung. Dr. Segal diagnosed blood pressure issues and prescribed medication. Two days later, Jones returned to the hospital after her cardiologist told her that a clot was found on the CTA. Jones was told that the scans had been misinterpreted as showing a clot.

About three years later, Jones was treated for metastatic lung cancer. She died the following month and was survived by her daughter.
Continue reading

by

LaTresia Austin, 39, was a breast cancer survivor. She elected to undergo a one-hour reconstructive breast surgery at a San Diego hospital. When her breathing tube was removed postoperatively, her vocal cord spasmed. Unfortunately, the tube was reinserted into her esophagus, and allegedly it took more than ten minutes for doctors to realize she was experiencing oxygen deprivation.

When the error was discovered, Austin was transferred to the ICU where she died of a hypoxic brain injury. Her death was caused by the breathing tube mishap and the ten-minute delay in reacting to the emergency: oxygen deprivation to the brain. She was survived by her husband and child.

Austin’s estate sued the Regents of the University of California, alleging improper monitoring and choosing not to timely check the breathing tube, which was the cause of her brain injury and finally her wrongful death.
Continue reading