Kaiser Nurse Strikes Patient Nerve
10-17-2013 20:45:00


     BEL AIR, Md. (CN) – A Kaiser nurse distracted by a personal phone call is responsible for a damaged nerve in a man’s arm, he alleges in a federal complaint.
     Dennie Krisher sued Midatlantic Permanente Medical Group P C; Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid Atlantic States Inc; Charles Eck Jr.; and Kaiser Permanente, in Harford County Circuit Court.
     Krisher had visited a Kaiser hospital in 2010 to have blood drawn. He claims an unknown female nurse answered a call on her cell phone while taking blood from his forearm. She released the tourniquet around Krisher’s arm with one hand once the ampule was full, causing his arm to move and the needle to strike one of his nerves, injuring it, according to the complaint.
     As a result of the injury, Krisher claims to have “lost strength in his right hand; experienced numbness and tingling, was not able to perform his work, was fired from his job, received further medical treatment and care, incurred medical bills, and suffered other economic and non-economic consequences,” according to the complaint.
     Krisher adds there is no mention of the nurse’s name in his chart and he can only identify her as about 35-years-old, 5-foot-4 inches tall and Caucasian.
     He is suing for $30,000, and is represented by Mark E. Herman of Baltimore. 12-C-13-002761