(StraightShooterNews.com) – In a dramatic turn of events, Emory University Hospital Midtown is facing a lawsuit for an eyebrow-raising reason: a lost skull.
Georgia couple Fernando and Maria Cluster sued the hospital for losing a portion of Fernando’s skull during surgery in September 2022 and then charging $19,000 for a synthetic replacement.
Filed in DeKalb County, the legal action accuses the hospital of negligence, alleging it led to additional hospital stays and surgeries and caused both physical and emotional distress.
Fernando was initially admitted to the hospital for emergency surgery on September 30, 2022, to treat an intracerebral hemorrhage — a type of bleeding within the brain.
During this surgery, a section of his skull measuring 12 by 15 centimeters was removed and was intended to be replaced in a later procedure.
However, complications arose in a follow-up surgery in November 2022.
According to the lawsuit, the hospital staff were unable to locate Cluster’s original bone flap due to issues with patient identifiers on the stored bone pieces, which led to the decision to use a synthetic bone flap instead.
The Clusters claim that the synthetic replacement caused further complications, including an infection that required additional surgical intervention.
This series of events reportedly resulted in a prolonged hospital stay and medical costs that exceeded $146,845.60.
Emory Healthcare has not made a public statement regarding the lawsuit, citing the ongoing nature of the litigation.
However, some reports affirm that the hospital remains committed to providing high-quality and compassionate care.
The Clusters are seeking compensation for general damages, though the lawsuit does not specify an exact amount.
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