UTMC agrees to pay $499,900 to settle lawsuit

3/2/2013

The University of Toledo Medical Center has agreed to pay $499,900 to a patient for failing to diagnose and treat his bleeding on the brain that led to a stroke.

The Court of Claims of Ohio approved the settlement agreement Wednesday.

Adrian Fitzgerald of Toledo, who was a patient at the former Medical College of Ohio Hospital on Aug. 4, 2011, cited several incidences of negligence and medical malpractice during his hospital stay, including negligent administration of heparin; negligent failure to appropriately monitor him; negligent failure to timely and appropriately follow up on the results of a CT scan, and negligent failure to timely and appropriately report the results of a CT scan to the ordering physician and/or the physician in charge of the patient’s care.

In his complaint filed Jan. 7, Mr. Fitzgerald said he is “permanent and partially” disabled and had serious injuries including “traumatic brain injury, damage to the left visual field of both eyes, and loss of motor function.”

The complaint also cites the “loss of services and consortium” for his wife and two sons.

UTMC released a written statement about the settlement.

“At UTMC, patients’ and their families’ privacy is our priority. It is our internal policy not to discuss the details or facts surrounding their personal health care, even though some of the information is available due to the public nature of our institution,” the statement said “UTMC, in settling a matter of this nature, is making no admission of liability.”