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Victim’s Family in Maryland Awarded $10 Million in Med Mal Case

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A jury in a Baltimore medical malpractice case has asked the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) to award a family in Gwynn Oak $10 million as compensation, according to a news report in The Baltimore Sun. Greenbelt, MD medical malpractice lawyers are paying close attention to this case.

The family of Dennis Allen, the deceased victim, sued UMMS for giving him a drug called Kayexalate that not only destroyed Allen’s colon, but also proved to be fatal. Kayexalate is a drug that works by drawing the extra potassium into the colon, and then flushing it outside the body via a bowel movement.

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Dennis Allen was admitted into the University of Maryland Medical Center sometime in March of 2013 because he had kidney issues. At some point, the potassium level in his body suddenly shot up and the doctors at the center gave him Kayexalate to bring it down. According to the legal professional for the Allen family, the doctors prescribed the drug without taken into consideration its side-effects that included highly plausible harm to the colon.

That does not sound good! Greenbelt, MD medical malpractice attorneys are not too impressed when they hear things like this.

The first sign that there was something wrong with Dennis was noticed by his wife when she saw blood in his stool. The legal counselor argued that it was only hours later that the medical staff finally conducted some tests.

The results of the tests clearly showed that there was some damage to his colon. When Dennis Allen was taken into surgery, the family thought that the doctors would only remove parts of his colon, however, the whole organ was removed. Only one day after the surgery, Allen breathed his last.

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The Verdict

A study that was published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine in 2009 clearly stated that colonic necrosis is a “rare, but potentially avoidable” complication of using Kayexalate. The Allen family’s medical malpractice attorney put forth an argument that the university doctors could have used dialysis, which is considered to be a safer option. Since UMMS has been asked to pay the family $10 million, the family feels that they have finally received some justice.

Some people believe this is far too much money. Was Dennis Allen going to earn this much money in his life? Just because something like this happens, does it mean the family hits the lottery? Certainly they deserve to be paid but $300,000 could be more accurate. Is this why health care costs are so high in America because of verdicts like this?

The UMMS is definitely not happy with the verdict and still maintains that the case was lacking evidence. They strongly believe that the jury made a decision in favor of the plaintiff because of sympathy, and are planning to appeal the case.

If you or your loved ones have been a victim of medical malpractice in Maryland, and want compensation for your distress, get in touch with a Maryland medical malpractice lawyer and the best way to make this happen is USAttorneys.com. This profound website has linked so many people with the right legal talent so they can represent themselves better.

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