Texas Hospital Faces Wrongful Death Lawsuit After Spine Surgery Went Wrong

A hospital in Houston is being sued for medical malpractice and wrongful death after a patient died during a spinal surgery five years ago.

According to Outpatient Surgery Magazine, Jennifer Renee Abshire went to Renaissance Hospital in Houston for sports-related spinal surgery in 2006. During the operation, the surgeon, Dr. Merrimon Baker, accidentally severed an artery but did not notice the fatal mistake and completed the procedure. Abshire was then moved to recovery, where a number of nurses failed to notice that the patient’s abdomen was quickly filling with blood. Abshire soon bled to death from the surgical mistake and the alleged negligence of the nursing staff.

In the medical malpractice lawsuit, her family states that the hospital should have been well aware of Dr. Baker’s troubled past, which included medical malpractice, loss of privileges, hospital discipline, drug abuse, and mental health issues. The lawsuit also states that the nurses caring for the patient breached the standard of care by failing to recognize obvious surgery complications.

The hospital attempted to have the case dismissed by arguing that the medical expert in the case did not sufficiently prove intent to harm, but the motion was denied.

It is not known the amount or kind of damages the Abshire family is seeking in the Texas wrongful death case.