Date: 05-13-2011

Case Style: Karla Rosa v. Anesthesia Associates of New London

Case Number: KNL-CV-08-5006331-S

Judge: Emmet Cosgrove

Court: Superior Court, New London, Connecticut

Plaintiff's Attorney: Sean McElligott, Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder, P.C., Bridgeport, Connecticut

Defendant's Attorney: Robert Cooney, Williams, Cooney & Sheehy, Trumbull, Connecticut

Description: Karla Rosa, age 44, and her husband Delmar Rose sued Anesthesia Associates of New London and others on medical negligence theories claiming that Drs. Thomas Meitt and Bart Calobrisi, who died in February, and Jean Richeimer, certified nurse anesthetist, failed to exercise due care when they administered anesthesia to her in 2006 and, as a direct result, she sustained a critical care nueropathy and is now permanently disabled. The medical negligence was the improper use of a laryngeal mask airway ("LMA") in a morbidly obese patient when the use of a cuffed endotracheal tube ("ET Tube") was indicated. As a result of the improper use of the LMA, Ms. Rosa's airway was left unprotected and she aspirated stomach contents.

Ms. Rosa spent 26 days in a coma followed by 29 days in the hospital's intensive care unit and 45 days in verbal and orthopedic rehabilitation, according to court documents.

She also suffered nerve damage, memory loss, had to use a feeding tub and venous catheter, had a tracheotomy and was left with a tracheotomy scar, has pain in her feet and other physiological, psychological and neurological side effects, according to the documents.

The Defendants defended the case by arguing that the use of an LMA in a morbidly obese patient was within the standard of care. On causation, the defendants argued that an aspiration had not occurred.
The defenses asserted by Defendants are not available.

Some information for this report came from: The Day

Outcome: Plaintiffs' verdict for $10.5 million.

Plaintiff's Experts: Dr. Sheldon Deluty, Dr. Walter Baigelman

Defendant's Experts: Dr. James D'Amato

Comments: The plaintiffs also utilized the expert services of Christina Spiesel, a Quinipiac University Law Professor and co-author of the book Law on Display.