Healthcare Providers Admit Responsibility in Man’s Death After Surgery

When Cesar Guerra was complaining of headaches, his employer sent him to a local hospital so he could be evaluated by specialists. [i] After seeing doctors at a local hospital and following up with an MRI, Mr. Guerra was discovered to have a pituitary benign mass which needed to be removed.  His doctors recommended to have the large tumor removed through what is known as a transsphenoidal surgery.

Subsequent to the surgery, Mr. Guerra was sent to the intensive care unit and shortly thereafter began showing signs of paralysis.  A CT scan following surgery showed that he was suffering a stroke.  The blood work which was ordered as routine following his surgery showed that his serum sodium levels were rapidly increasing and his heart rate continued to drop.  Mr. Guerra’s condition continued to deteriorate and approximately five days after his surgery, he fell into a coma.  Two days later he died leaving behind a wife and stepson.

Mr. Guerra’s wife came to see David Sampedro when another local attorney gave her his name.  David contacted various experts including a neurosurgeon, nurse, neurologist, intensivist, and hospitalist.  After conferencing with the various experts and obtaining affidavits that the various healthcare providers breached the prevailing standard of care and that breach ultimately lead to Mr. Guerra’s death, the healthcare providers admitted responsibility for causing Mr. Guerra’s death and the case was settled for a confidential undisclosed amount of money.