Latest News 2010 November $4.6 Million to Family That Lost Mom During Childbirth

$4.6 Million to Family That Lost Mom During Childbirth

As reported by the Star Tribune, the family of a woman that bled to death after giving birth at Monticello-Big Lake Community Hospital, now known as New River Medical Center, was awarded $4.6 million in a malpractice and wrongful death lawsuit.

The award was handed down by a jury in a Wright County court.

Claudia Calcagno died a few hours after delivering her first child, a boy, on January 18, 2008 in the Wright County hospital.

She had begun to hemorrhage after the birth and both doctors, and the hospital, failed to save her life as they didn't have enough blood for a necessary transfusion.

Attorney for the Calcagno family, Kathleen Flynn Peterson, stated that there was plenty of blood "sitting right in their refrigerator" and that Calcagno's doctors "needed blood to save her life. It was as simple as that."

Flynn Peterson also stated that verdicts this large - and this is not the largest in a Minnesota malpractice award - are uncommon against heath care providers.

The hospital, while considering an appeal, made this statement, "Our thoughts and sympathy go out to the Calcagno family."

Flynn Peterson had argued in court that because a life-saving surgery wasn't performed on Calcagno, her doctors were negligent. The hospital said, "Clinical staff members can only act under the direction of a physician, and we believe [hospital] staff members acted according to the orders of the attending physicians."

The award will compensate the Calcagno family for both past and future economic loss, and loss of Claudia's companionship. Bob Calcagno, Claudia widow, said, "Not a day goes by I don't think about her. To put it simply, I miss my wife."

Claudia Calcagno gave birth to her son Vico after a second day of labor and a caesarean section on January 17, 2008 at 6:50 pm.  It was then that the blood that Calcagno needed, just in case she required surgery, had not been ordered as a matter of standard routine. The blood, A negative, was ordered hours too late.

Having blood on hand was not a policy for Monticello-Big Lake Community Hospital and, as stated by Flynn Peterson, makes them fall too short of accepted standards of practice.

After nurses checked in on Calcagno at 8:50 p.m. they discovered she was bleeding heavily and called for her doctors. A surgery team was also paged.

The examining physician ordered blood  and the lab sent O negative as it's the universal donor type in stock. There is also record of a 911 call to get blood from a hospital that was 12 miles away, but there are no clear records as to when that blood arrived.

Flynn Peterson said that doctors were not made aware of the hospital having a stock of either A or O positive blood - either type would have been acceptable for Calcagno's surgery.

In the operating room Calcagno was put under anesthesia and doctors prepared to remove her uterus but changed their minds.  They felt that Calcagno was now stabilized and it was better to move her to North Medical Center in Robbinsdale, considering the lack of resources at Monticello-Big Lake Community Hospital.

Two more units of blood arrived as Calcagno was being wheeled to a helicopter for the trip, and it was sent along with her.  But, by the time she reached North Memorial she was in critical condition.  Her blood pressure had dropped and, though a blood transfusion was performed, her heart gave out.

An emergency hysterectomy proved fruitless, Calcagno died during the surgery. She had lost at last 4,000 milliliters of blood during the postpartum hemorrhage.

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Categories: Wrongful Death