Levin & Perconti secured a $4.29 million settlement for the family of a 38-year-old woman who died after hospital staff failed to perform an emergency echocardiogram despite signs of a life-threatening heart condition. The delay prevented doctors from diagnosing and treating cardiac tamponade before she suffered cardiac arrest. Founder John J. Perconti represented the family.
What Happened
On February 28, 2010, Keesha Caldwell arrived at a Chicago-area hospital complaining of chest pain and feeling unwell. Initial testing revealed low blood pressure, prompting physicians to investigate whether her symptoms were caused by an infection or a heart condition.
After testing ruled out infection, doctors ordered a CT scan that revealed moderate pericardial effusion, a buildup of fluid in the sac surrounding the heart.
Excess fluid in this space can cause cardiac tamponade, a life-threatening condition in which pressure prevents the heart from filling and pumping blood properly. An echocardiogram, an ultrasound of the heart, was scheduled for the following morning to determine whether Caldwell had developed this condition.
Our client was admitted to the intensive care unit, but her condition continued to deteriorate overnight. At approximately 5:50 a.m., physicians ordered an immediate, or STAT, echocardiogram.
Despite the urgency of the order, the examination was not performed. Communication failures prevented the order from being properly carried out and followed up on.
When the hospital’s regularly scheduled ultrasound technician arrived between 7:00 and 7:30 a.m., she discovered the emergency order and immediately brought her equipment to Caldwell’s room.
By the time she arrived, Caldwell was suffering cardiac arrest.
Doctors attempted to resuscitate her and performed pericardiocentesis, a procedure to drain the excess fluid surrounding the heart. However, these efforts were unsuccessful, and our client died, leaving behind daughters.
What Levin & Perconti Argued
Levin & Perconti argued that Caldwell’s death could have been prevented if hospital staff and physicians had recognized the seriousness of her condition and acted on the emergency echocardiogram order.
We maintained that our client’s low blood pressure, worsening symptoms, and documented fluid buildup should have prompted an urgent evaluation for cardiac tamponade.
Although physicians eventually recognized the need for immediate testing, failures in communication prevented the examination from being performed before she suffered cardiac arrest.
The firm’s medical experts concluded that Caldwell would have survived if doctors had drained the fluid surrounding her heart before her cardiac arrest at 7:33 a.m. An earlier echocardiogram would have identified the condition and allowed doctors to intervene while treatment was still possible.
The defendants disputed aspects of the allegations. Some physicians maintained that an emergency echocardiogram was unnecessary, while others suggested that Caldwell’s death may have resulted from an autoimmune condition rather than the failures in care.
The hospital took no position regarding liability and did not disclose experts to challenge the allegations concerning its staff’s handling of the emergency order.
John Perconti addressed the hospital’s position in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin:
“They basically were conceding that they were negligent in the way that Ms. Caldwell was treated, at least by the hospital staff, and carrying out that echo order.”
The case demonstrated how a failure to carry out an emergency medical order could prevent doctors from treating a condition that was reversible, resulting in catastrophic ourcomes
$4.29 Million Settlement
Levin & Perconti secured a $4.29 million settlement for Caldwell’s family in October 2015, shortly before the medical malpractice case was scheduled to go to trial.
Our client’s two daughters will grow up without their mother. This settlement holds the hospital accountable for a death that should have been prevented and gives her daughters the resources to build their lives without their mother.
Contact Levin & Perconti For a Free Consultation
When a doctor overlooks warning signs, misreads test results, or never orders the right screening, a cancer that could have been treated early may advance to a stage where options are far more limited. If you or someone you love was harmed because a provider failed to catch cancer in time, the team at Levin & Perconti can review what happened, explain whether negligence may have played a role, and help you decide on next steps. Our medical malpractice lawyers offer free consultations, so call (312) 332-2872 to talk through your situation.
