Misdiagnosis after CT scan spurs $1.5M malpractice verdict

The jury for a malpractice suit delivered a $1.5 million fine to a Virginia radiology firm for misinterpreting the CT scan of a patient who initially presented to the emergency department with abdominal pain, according to an article by the Roanoke Times.

In August 2016, LewisGale Medical Center in Salem admitted Alexander Nelson to the emergency department, where clinicians referred him for a CT exam, the Times reported. The supervisor on hand, a representative of Radiology Assoc. of Roanoke, completed the patient's report without any reference to appendicitis or possible appendicitis.

Nelson returned to the hospital two days later in worse condition, and a follow-up CT exam revealed that he had a ruptured appendix, according to the claim. He then had a stroke during surgery for the rupture.

A series of other complications -- including sepsis, respiratory failure, and blood clotting -- arose as a consequence of the original misdiagnosis of mesenteritis, said Nelson's lawyer, Anthony Russell. Over the course of three extended hospital stays and follow-up therapy, Nelson accumulated more than $365,000 in medical expenses.

The jury reached its verdict after three hours of deliberation on February 16, from which point the defense has 30 days to file post-trial motions, according to the Times.