Botched Spinal Epidural Paralyzed Woman, She Claims
9-27-2014 00:00:00


     ATLANTA (CN) - A botched spinal epidural anesthetic paralyzed a woman following the Caesarean birth of her second child, she claims in the Fulton County Court.

     Keimesha White sued Gwinett Hospital System, Inc. dba Gwinett Medical Center, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Georgia, Inc. dba Kaiser Permanente, anesthesiologist Karen Giarrusso M.D. and two Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists – Eugene Pikus and Shivani Patel. Her husband, Rondy White, sued for loss of consortium.
     According to the lawsuit, Keimesha and Rondy White were insured by Kaiser and Mrs. White went to Gwinett Medical Center (GMC) to give birth to her second child. Dr. Giarrusso and Pikus are GMC employees and Patel is a Kaiser employee, according to the complaint.
     The complaint says Mrs. White’s first pregnancy had been high risk because of pregnancy-induced hypertension and the baby had been born by Cesarean.
     “Mrs. White’s second pregnancy and delivery followed a similar, but more serious course,” the complaint states. In addition to another bout with hypertension, she was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and a low platelet count, and she was found to be a carrier of both the sickle-cell trait and the cystic fibrosis gene, according to the complaint. Although she was initially offered the option of a trial labor and vaginal birth, as her condition worsened she was advised to have a second Cesarean, according to the complaint.
     The complaint states, “As pain control for the delivery of plaintiff’s baby on July 12, 2012, the anesthesia staff at GMC chose combined spinal epidural (‘CSE’)," which was performed by defendants Giarrusso, Patel and Pikus.
     The spinal portion was started a half hour before the surgery and the epidural portion was started a few minutes after the baby boy’s birth and continued until the morning, according to the complaint.
     “During the early hours of July 13, 2012, Keimesha experienced weakness in her legs which progressed to the point that she was unable to move them. By the end of the day, she had been diagnosed with paraplegia,”  the complaint states.
     “Since July 13, 2012, plaintiff Keimesha White has been a paraplegic and is not expected to regain the use of her legs and other bodily functions. As a result of her condition, she required treatment at the Shepherd Spinal Center, was required to relocate her home to one which can accommodate her permanent disability and will require extensive medical care in the future. Moreover, Keimesha is incontinent of bladder and bowel and requires the use of a colostomy bag,” it states.
     The Whites seek punitive damages, attorney’s fees and expenses of litigation, a jury trial and special damages of not less than $78,218.00. They are represented by Quinton S. Seay of Atlanta.

14EV001438