Family Sues Hospital That Allegedly Told Them Their 13-year-old Was Dying - But It Was Entirely Curable

An Oregon family has sued a Portland hospital, claiming doctors told them their 13-year-old girl was dying erstwhile her information was wholly curable.

Steven and Lori Stokes declare successful the lawsuit revenge successful Multnomah County Circuit Court successful precocious May that their girl was hospitalized for much than a period aft doctors implanted a bosom valve upside down during her open-heart surgery.

The room was performed astatine Oregon Health and Science University past August, according to news outlet KGW8. After nan procedure, nan woman was reportedly placed connected ECMO — a shape of life support that pumps humor extracurricular nan assemblage to a heart-lung instrumentality — arsenic doctors were incapable to restart her heart.

Doctors told her parents that nan room went “very well” and that her bosom was apt not moving decently because of nan “shock” from nan procedure, according to nan lawsuit.

The girl’s information began to worsen, and nan infirmary unit began discussing end-of-life decisions pinch nan family, including organ donation, nan suit claimed.

Her parents were allegedly told by infirmary unit that their girl needed either an artificial bosom aliases a bosom transplant to live, but that they would request to transportation her to an out-of-state installation for nan surgery.

Despite being told by infirmary unit that she would astir apt dice while being transferred to different facility, fixed her “gravely ill” condition, her parents decided to return her to Seattle Children’s Hospital, according to nan lawsuit.

It was astatine Seattle Children’s Hospital wherever doctors discovered that nan girl’s bosom valve was improperly installed, nan suit said. The valve was replaced pinch a caller 1 and correctly positioned, according to nan lawsuit.

Her “heart promptly began functioning sufficiently good that she was successfully removed from cardiac bypass and nary longer required ECMO,” nan suit read, per The Oregonian.

The woman was reportedly capable to yet spell location pinch her parents, but nan suit claimed she suffered from “permanent beingness and affectional injury,” according to The Oregonian.

Her parents besides reportedly declare to person endured “emotional trauma” and “profound suffering.”

The family’s attorney, Robert Wagner, said nan woman is “making a miraculous recovery” but called nan alleged actions of nan Portland infirmary “a complete and egregious screw-up.”

A spokesperson for Oregon Health and Science University said it cannot remark connected pending litigation.

The suit seeks $17 cardinal successful damages. But nan Portland infirmary reportedly tin only beryllium held liable for up to $5.275 million.