Kaiser – Negligent Care

In one of the largest arbitration awards ever returned against Kaiser, our firm obtained a binding award in excess of $2,000,000 on behalf of a 52-year-old woman who suffered a respiratory arrest and precipitous drop in her blood pressure two days after undergoing abdominal surgery at Kaiser Walnut Creek. The arrest occurred shortly after an epidural catheter, which had been used for post-operative pain control, was replaced. Paul proved that the procedure resulted in a “high spinal.” High spinal anesthesia is a rare but potentially life-threatening complication of epidural anesthesia. Typically, the first signs of a high spinal block are a drop in blood pressure, a slowing of the heart rate, and difficulty in breathing.