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Faithx2
All good things in 2016!!
Member since 8/05 20181 total posts
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Smithtown Dr Lawsuit in Newsday
Just thought I'd post this for anyone who is a patient. It caught my eye because my Dr's are in Smithtown but not in this practice. I personally have no opinion on this case. So please no flames for posting it :)
Long Island
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Husband awarded $13.1M in wife's death after C-section
Jury agrees two Smithtown docs did not adequately treat massive bleeding after surgery
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BY ALFONSO A. CASTILLO
STAFF WRITER
October 20, 2005
Even while raising three children, including one who is autistic, Sabine Elias found time to volunteer feeding the poor at her church's food pantry.
The Central Islip resident was "always there to help others," said her attorney, Steven Pegalis of Lake Success. But as she bled to death after delivering her fourth child, and most in need of help from others, she did not get it, he said yesterday.
A Riverhead jury awarded Elias' family $13.1 million on Friday in a malpractice verdict against two Smithtown doctors who oversaw her care.
Pegalis said the woman's widower, John Elias, who now lives in Farmingville, is "pleased that justice was done."
"His primary interest now is to use the funds to help his children. That's what his wife would want him to do," Pegalis said.
On Jan. 17, 1999, shortly after delivering a healthy baby girl through Caesarean section at St. John's Episcopal Hospital in Smithtown (now St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center), Elias, 36, fainted, and her blood pressure dropped considerably.
Pegalis said the most obvious cause for Elias' condition was internal bleeding caused by injury to a blood vessel during surgery.
But Elias' obstetrician-gynecologist, Dr. Dina Weiss, immediately ruled out surgical bleeding as the cause. Weiss held her position even when cardiologist Jyoti Ganguly determined internal bleeding was the problem and urged Weiss to treat Elias accordingly, Pegalis added.
She did not, and Elias died two days later from cardiac arrest. An autopsy later revealed "massive accumulations" of blood in Elias' abdomen and abdominal wall, Pegalis said.
The suit alleged that not only was Weiss negligent in not treating Elias for the most obvious cause of her symptoms, but also that Ganguly was as well for doing nothing to help Elias.
"Telling the surgeon, 'You've got to fix it,' is not good enough," Pegalis said. "The point is saving the patient's life."
Weiss' attorney, Clifford Bartlett, did not return a call for comment. He argued during the trial that Elias died not from surgical bleeding, but from an amniotic fluid embolism, which is untreatable.
Ganguly's attorney, Florence Gibbons, said "it would be inappropriate to comment" on the verdict while legal motions are pending.
Nearly 28 percent of all births in the United States are by Caesarean section, according to 2003 federal government statistics. In general, C-section births carry higher complication rates than vaginal births.
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Message edited 11/2/2005 10:25:22 AM.
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Posted 11/2/05 9:05 AM  |
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btrflygrl
me and baby #3!
Member since 5/05 12013 total posts
Name:
Shana
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Re: Smithtown Dr Lawsuit in Newsday
OMG...my sister goes to her!!!
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| Posted 11/2/05 9:14 AM |
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nervous
LIF Zygote
Member since 9/05 17 total posts
Name:
ME
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Re: Smithtown Dr Lawsuit in Newsday
I use this office, as well, but I do not go to this doctor. It's scary, but I really like my doctor, and I feel confident in her abilities.
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| Posted 11/2/05 10:03 AM |
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MrsJ
I love my Katie Bug
Member since 5/05 11357 total posts
Name:
Kathy
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Re: Smithtown Dr Lawsuit in Newsday
Shana - tell your sister to switch doctors, really.
This is a horrible story.
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| Posted 11/2/05 10:07 AM |
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colesmom
Brady's mom too!
Member since 5/05 1989 total posts
Name:
Lea
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Re: Smithtown Dr Lawsuit in Newsday
Posted by MrsJ
Shana - tell your sister to switch doctors, really.
This is a horrible story.
There are 2 sides to every story. A friend of mine was the OB nurse in this case and was devastated by it. What Newsday doesnt mention is that this woman had a severe blood disorder, has had multiple transfusions in the past and refused to see a high risk OB. It is a horrible story, but that doesnt mean that this Dr. should have all her patients leaving her practice. Believe me, lawsuits aside, the doctors and nurses involved in this case are mourning too.
ETA: This is the OB that was featured on A Baby Story.
ETAA: Absolutely no flaming meant by this; just wanted to share some additional facts to put the pts. who use this practice at ease.
Message edited 11/2/2005 10:49:52 AM.
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| Posted 11/2/05 10:14 AM |
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Faithx2
All good things in 2016!!
Member since 8/05 20181 total posts
Name:
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Re: Smithtown Dr Lawsuit in Newsday
I have no opinion on this actual case since I don't know the whole story. I am in the medical profession myself. OB's are sued all the time and we have no idea unless it's publicized. You can check you Dr at this website.
http://www.op.nysed.gov/opd.htm
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| Posted 11/2/05 10:23 AM |
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Shelly
She's 7!!!
Member since 8/05 14624 total posts
Name:
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Re: Smithtown Dr Lawsuit in Newsday
Check out your doctor on this site too- it tells you if they have been sued for malpractice and what the general result was.
NY Doctor Profile
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| Posted 11/2/05 12:21 PM |
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nervous
LIF Zygote
Member since 9/05 17 total posts
Name:
ME
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Re: Smithtown Dr Lawsuit in Newsday
Posted by colesmom
Posted by MrsJ
Shana - tell your sister to switch doctors, really.
This is a horrible story.
There are 2 sides to every story. A friend of mine was the OB nurse in this case and was devastated by it. What Newsday doesnt mention is that this woman had a severe blood disorder, has had multiple transfusions in the past and refused to see a high risk OB. It is a horrible story, but that doesnt mean that this Dr. should have all her patients leaving her practice. Believe me, lawsuits aside, the doctors and nurses involved in this case are mourning too.
ETA: This is the OB that was featured on A Baby Story.
ETAA: Absolutely no flaming meant by this; just wanted to share some additional facts to put the pts. who use this practice at ease.
Thank you for posting this, I am of the belief that all doctors, just like people in other fields, make mistakes. It's horrible that it cost this woman her life, but I am not about to switch practices because of it. So thank you for adding some facts.
I think it's SO important that people know that they need to share EVERY ounce of medical history with their doctors.
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| Posted 11/2/05 12:43 PM |
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DRMom
Two in Blue
Member since 5/05 20223 total posts
Name:
Melissa
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Re: Smithtown Dr Lawsuit in Newsday
Also we can't forget that a c-section is surgery and there are always risks with surgery. I personally know this Dr(her mother lives next door to my best friends mother.) I agree with the other poster don't believe every thing you read. Choosing a Dr is a personal decision and each has to choose what is best for them.
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| Posted 11/2/05 1:04 PM |
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