Mother of baby injured by IV settles claim for $320K

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The mother of a baby who suffered a hand injury after nurses failed to properly maintain an IV has settled a claim with the hospital where the baby was born and its owners for $320,000, the mother’s attorneys report.

Clay Hopkins and Bill Hopkins of Hopkins Law Firm in Charleston report that their client, whose name was withheld, prematurely delivered her daughter at Prisma Health Richland Hospital in Columbia on March 18, 2018. The daughter was placed in an ICU and fed nutrients through an IV. She developed an infection at the IV entrance point, which resulted in her having a surgical graft on her hand, and then developed a hernia at the graft incision site, which required surgery of its own.

The mother filed a notice of internet to file a lawsuit against Prima Health University Medical Group, Prima Health Richland Hospital, Prisma Health Midlands, and Prima Health University Medical Group, alleging medical malpractice. She contended that the nurses failed to monitor, change, and clean the IV and failed to identify risk factors for infiltration, where IV fluids leak out of the vein and into the surrounding tissue.

“Although we brought an action against the physicians, they were not present when the infiltration occurred, and we believed it would have been difficult to establish malpractice on their behalf,” Clay Hopkins said.

Hopkins said that medical records obtained from the hospital showed that the nurses checked the baby’s IV “every hour on the hour,” which raised flags that the records may not have been an accurate representation of the actual times that the baby was checked.

The baby has recovered but will have to have surgery on the scar tissue in the coming years, Hopkins said.

Darren Sanders of Mount Pleasant mediated the settlement, which was agreed to on Dec. 29. Because the defendants are nonprofits, damages were capped at $300,000 for each occurrence, but the mother alleged multiple failures to check on her daughter, Hopkins said.

Jim Parham of Irmo represented the defendants. He could not be reached for comment.

Follow Bill Cresenzo on Twitter @bcresenzosclw

SETTLEMENT REPORT — MEDICAL MALPRACTICE

Amount: $320,000

Injuries alleged: Scars, physical and emotional damages, hernia at graft incision site, and medical bills

Case name: Withheld

Court: Richland County Circuit Court

Case No.: 2020-NI-40-00025

Mediator: Darren Sanders of Mount Pleasant

Date of settlement: Dec. 29

Attorneys for plaintiff: Bill Hopkins and Clay Hopkins of Hopkins Law Firm in Charleston

Attorney for defendant: Jim Parham of Irmo