Glenda Yarbrough, wife of the deceased Ronald Yarbrough, secured Lloyd Bell of Bell Law Firm, Georgia’s preeminent law firm for victims of medical malpractice, to file a medical malpractice, wrongful death action in Gwinnett County against Gwinnett Hospital System and CardioVascular Group. In October 2018, Dr. Lance Friedland failed to identify and address Mr. Yarbrough’s LAD stenosis, leading to a post-surgery heart attack and premature death nearly eight months later.
In October of 2018, Dr. Lance Friedland examined Mr. Yarbrough at CardioVascular Group and ordered a CT calcium scoring examination. Mr. Yarbrough went to the Gwinnett Hospital System for a non-contrast CT scan of his heart, which provided calcium scoring. The report for that exam noted that Mr. Yarbrough’s coronary artery calcification score in his left anterior descending artery (LAD) was 469 – indicating a likelihood of extensive atherosclerotic plaque in his LAD. That is, that Mr. Yarbrough likely had high-grade stenosis in one of the critical arteries to the myocardium.
Standard of care required Dr. Friedland to follow up with Mr. Yarbrough for further evaluation and potential treatment plan for coronary artery disease. This did not happen. Instead, CardioVascular Group sent a letter to Mr. Yarbrough stating his calcium scoring results were unconcerning based on a prior stress test and cardiac catheterization from 2006.
As a direct result of the misinterpretation and miscommunication of test results, Mr. Yarbrough underwent a risky surgery that put unwarranted stress on his cardiovascular system. Mr. Yarbrough ultimately suffered a heart attack induced by the surgery – leading to organ failure and death.
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“When patients undergo testing, the physician and the physician’s practice group are responsible for reviewing the results, correctly informing the patient of any important abnormal results, arranging for any appropriate follow-up testing and ensuring that the results are recorded in the patient’s chart,” states Lloyd Bell. “These tasks are important to patient safety and can be the catalyst for catastrophic results if not performed diligently. In this case, if Dr. Friedland, CardioVascular Group and Gwinnett Medical Center had done their jobs and met the standard of care, Mr. Yarbrough’s LAD stenosis could have been addressed safely and timely, and the June 2019 post-surgery heart attack and premature death could have been avoided.”
Plaintiff Glenda Yarbrough seeks the full value of the life taken from Ronald Yarbrough, as well as damages for funeral costs and other damages including physical, economic and emotional injuries.
For more information about Bell Law Firm’s success in helping victims of medical malpractice, visit www.belllawfirm.com/results.
About Bell Law Firm
Bell Law Firm is Georgia’s preeminent firm for victims of medical malpractice. Founded in 1999 by Lloyd Bell, the firm has recovered more than $100 million for patients and families of people injured or killed due to medical negligence. Bell has more than 25 years of experience in federal and state courts, and he has represented clients in more than 75 jury trials and hundreds of successful settlements. Specializing in litigating misdiagnoses, surgical errors, and other types of malpractice, Bell Law firm differentiates itself with deep legal expertise, a mastery of technology in the courtroom and a compelling manner of storytelling. In 2018, Daily Report, the leading source of legal news in Atlanta, named Bell Law Firm as Personal Injury Litigation Team of the Year.
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