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Childs Fingers Amputated Due to Medical Error

A $2,000,000 Medical Negligence Settlement was Reached

Poor little C.J. He was just five years old when he was admitted to the hospital for abdominal surgery. After his surgery, he needed an arterial catheter (a thin tube inserted into an artery, also called an art-line or a-line). Arterial catheters are used if a patient needs frequent blood draws and to monitor blood gases. In C.J.’s case, the catheter was placed near his armpit, in his axillary artery.

But this catheter caused blood clots, and these blood clots traveled to C.J.’s fingers. C.J.’s mother noticed that his fingers were turning colors and alerted the medical staff. . The medical staff discounted her observations, and nothing was done about C.J.’s blue fingers.

Sometimes with babies, infants, and small children, it can take a while to determine the exact extent of the damage from medical errors, like improperly inserting a catheter. Sadly, for C.J., by the time anything was done to alleviate the problem, it was too late. Five-year-old C.J. had to have all his fingers on one hand amputated.

A $2,000,000 settlement was reached with the hospital and the physician who placed the catheter.