Medical Malpractice Counsel Andrew Winegar recently won a defense verdict in a trial in Gloucester on May 8th. The case involved a peripheral nerve block performed as part of a Achilles tendon repair at Kennedy Surgical Center. Plaintiff alleged that the block, which is used to control post-operative pain, damaged the sciatic nerve through needle trauma. For the procedure, the anesthesiologist uses an ultrasound to position the needle at the popliteal and tibial nerves behind the knee, then injects an anesthetic that numbs the nerves for 36-48 hours. Generally, when there is needle trauma the patient reacts instantly. Here, there were no symptoms for nine weeks. Nevertheless, Plaintiff claimed that he suffered from numbness, tingling, and hypersensitivity in his foot. After a two week trial in Gloucester County, which featured six fact witnesses and five experts, we received a no cause verdict.
Great work, Andrew and the Medical Malpractice team!