Drug & Device News

A plaintiff injured by a dye used to diagnose her medical compliant has agreed to settle for less than the $3.62 million recovery she was awarded by a jury. The 52-year-old plaintiff in Johnson v. UMDNJ went to the Emergency Room of Newark, NJ's University Hospital, complaining of leg pain and vaginal bleeding. She was administered a contrasting dye prior to undergoing a CAT scan. The patient was allergic to the dye, which caused her blood pressure to spike, which resulted in a brain aneurysm. Although she immediately underwent surgery, the plaintiff was left with some paralysis and with cognitive deficits that now prevent her from returning to her teaching position at Rutgers University. She brought suit against the hospital, claiming, among other things, that the CAT scan was unnecessary. UMDNJ countered that the scan was necessary as a means to to rule out a stomach abscess, and that the plaintiff's aneurysm was caused by a previous medical condition. No diagnosis of the plaintiff's original complaints was ever made. The plaintiff was awarded $3.62 million, but she entered into a settlement agreement with the hospital for a lesser, undisclosed, amount.