<court>Lucas County (Ohio) Court of Common Pleas</court>
A woman in her early 20s presented to her Ob/Gyn due to suspected pregnancy, which the physician confirmed. Six weeks later, the woman suffered a ruptured ectopic pregnancy and died due to blood loss.
The woman’s family claimed the doctor did not adequately counsel the patient on the risks of pregnancy, and failed to ensure she received proper follow-up care. They accused the defendant of altering the woman’s medical record.
The defendant maintained that the patient said she would seek an abortion, and denied tampering the woman’s records.
- The jury returned a defense verdict.
The cases in this column are selected by the editors of OBG Management from Medical Malpractice Verdicts, Settlements & Experts, with permission of the editor, Lewis Laska, of Nashville, Tenn (www.verdictslaska.com). While there are instances when the available information is incomplete, these cases represent the types of clinical situations that typically result in litigation.