A Queens jury awarded $7 million in damages to a Fresh Meadows man for post-operative complications following heart by-pass surgery at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn.
Dr. Christopher Mendola and Dr. Patrick Monteleone, each affiliated with the well-known St. Francis Hospital in Long Island were found liable to Owen McNamara, and his wife Jo-Ann, by a jury in Queens County Supreme Court on Dec. 22.
McNamara’s “routine” by-pass surgery went without complication until the patient developed bleeding around his heart while in the intensive care unit, according to Steven E. Pegalis of Great Neck, McNamara’s attorney.
McNamara almost died but survived to experience more than two years of multiple complications, according to McNamara’s attorneys who said the surgery successfully corrected heart blockages, but the cardiac arrest produced permanent heart damage that previously did not exist, along with serious breathing, chest and infectious complications.
“Instead of timely identifying the pressure build-up, which could easily have been relieved within minutes, there was a negligent failure to timely recognize and communicate the development of this post-operative complication, leading to Mr. McNamara’s cardiac arrest,” said Pegalis.
In an age in which emphasis has been placed on patient safety and avoiding medical errors, Pegalis said the crux issue in this case was the doctors’ failure to timely communicate and document the medical record regarding the developing signs and symptoms of tamponade.
“If the signs and symptoms were timely recognized, treatment could have been rendered within minutes,” Pegalis said.
St. Francis Hospital and the affiliated doctors were represented by Peter Bower of New York, who did not return a request for comment left at his office.
The four-week trial was presided over by the Hon. Jeffrey Lebowitz.
