A medical malpractice lawsuit was recently filed by Cronin & Maxwell, a Jacksonville-based law firm, on behalf of a mother who had a needle left inside her spine when she underwent a C-section 15 years ago. The suit was filed against the Naval Hospital Jacksonville and alleges the medical facility “covered up a medical mistake by leaving three centimeters of a broken needle inside” Amy Bright’s spine. Despite the fact that Bright had her C-section 15 years ago, she just learned last year that the needle was “still lodged in her spine.”
A medical malpractice lawsuit was recently filed by Cronin & Maxwell, a Jacksonville-based law firm, on behalf of a mother who had a needle left inside her spine when she underwent a C-section 15 years ago. The suit was filed against the Naval Hospital Jacksonville and alleges the medical facility “covered up a medical mistake by leaving three centimeters of a broken needle inside” Amy Bright’s spine. Despite the fact that Bright had her C-section 15 years ago, she just learned last year that the needle was “still lodged in her spine.”
The incident occurred back on September 5, 2003. That day, Bright was scheduled for a cesarean section to deliver her third child. However, “during the procedure, the hospital opted for spinal anesthesia to block the pain rather than general anesthesia, which would have knocked her out.” While administering the spinal anesthesia, a process that usually takes a few minutes but ended up turning into a 40-minute ordeal for Bright, “between one-third to one-half of the needle broke and became lodged in Bright’s spine,” according to attorney Sean Cronin. Instead of telling Bright about the needle, her medical team “never told her about the mistake and the hospital covered it up.”
To make matters worse, Bright’s medical records “make no mention of the needle breaking off and remaining embedded in the woman’s spine.” Instead, her records simply state that the “anesthesia did not take.”
When commenting on his client’s experience, Cronin said the typical spinal needle is about seven to nine centimeters in length and that about three centimeters of a needle was left in Bright’s spine. He said that “anyone performing anesthesia could clearly tell that a large portion of the needle was missing.” He added:
“They knew what they did. They thought they would get in trouble so they elected not to tell the family and not to tell anyone in the chain of command because they did not want to get in trouble.”
As a result of the piece of needle stuck in her spine, Bright has spent years struggling with back and leg problems. Last year, she underwent a CAT scan to try and get to the bottom of her problems, which is when the “more than an inch-long needle was discovered in her L4 vertebra.” Since the piece of needle was discovered, she has “consulted with multiple neurosurgeons about having the needle removed but has been told the risk for even more permanent damage — such as paralysis — is too high.” In fact, she was told that “the window to remove the needle was in the days after the delivery of her child in 2003,” according to Cronin.
Some of the problems Bright has experienced since the incident in 2003 include problems sitting and exercising, “because the needle inflames the nerves when she moves.” Over the years, her pain and discomfort have only increased, prompting Cronin to label the incident a “cowardly, unethical cover-up.” He added:
“This is the most outrageous case of medical malpractice I’ve ever seen. There was a golden window of opportunity to surgically remove the needle. By failing to tell Mrs. Bright about it or record it in her medical records, the medical staff sentenced her to a lifetime of pain. Surgery now is too risky because it could destabilize her spine, worsen the nerve damage or paralyze her.”
How has the hospital responded to the allegations so far? Well, earlier this week the hospital issued the following statement:
“We’re deeply committed to providing the best care to every patient entrusted to us. Due to patient confidentiality and privacy laws, we’re prohibited from providing any additional comments.”
Sources:
Woman sues Naval Hospital Jacksonville over needle left in spine following C-section
Woman sues Naval Hospital Jacksonville over needle left from 14-year-old surgery
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