August, 2013

David Strite and Mark Hammond successfully defended an Evansville, IN based anesthesiologist in a two week trial in Vanderburgh County Circuit Court. The anesthesiologist was accused of failing to treat a mother’s hypotension and communicate that low blood pressure to a maternal fetal medicine specialist during the course of a percutaneous umbilical blood sampling procedure. During the course of the procedure, the fetal heart rate crashed and an emergency cesarean section ensued. The baby developed spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy due to hypoxia. $20 million in damages were sought by Plaintiffs. Strite and Hammond defended the anesthesiologist by submitting that he utilized multiple tools to treat the maternal hypotension and effectively perfuse the mother. Further, the maternal hypotension was communicated to the maternal fetal medicine physician and her team. The hypoxic event was due to an unpreventable and untreatable placental abruption. The jury unanimously agreed with the defense and returned a verdict in favor of the anesthesiologist.