Kaiser – Failure To Diagnose Compartment Syndrome In Child

Our Kaiser orthopedic surgery litigation team obtained a binding arbitration award, in the Kaiser Arbitration System, resulting from an orthopedic surgeon’s failure to recognize and treat compartment syndrome in a high school junior. The student suffered a tibia fracture during the first day of basketball tryouts. He went to the emergency room at the San Francisco Kaiser Hospital and was referred to the on-call orthopedist. That doctor decided to treat the broken leg by the use of a cast. After the leg was casted, the youngster began to experience severe pain, out of all proportion to the original injury. This should have been a sign of impaired circulation and reduce blood flow because of a cast that was too tight. The Permanente Group physician who was taking care of him failed to recognize the signs of compromised blood flow caused by the too-tight cast. This led to permanent muscle and nerve damage in the leg. At arbitration, our client recovered damages for pain and suffering as well as economic losses reflecting his potential loss of a college scholarship based upon his athletic prowess.