Strong Law Offices secured a $4.25 million wrongful death settlement on behalf of the family of a patient who died from a massive pulmonary embolism following orthopedic surgery.
PEORIA, Ill., Sept. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Strong Law Offices secured a $4.25 million wrongful death settlement on behalf of the family of a patient who died from a massive pulmonary embolism following orthopedic surgery.
The patient had suffered a tibial plateau fracture and was scheduled to undergo surgery. A preoperative electrocardiogram performed several days before the procedure showed an abnormal result, and they remained tachycardic on the morning of surgery.
The orthopedic procedure was completed without complication, and the patient was admitted for postoperative observation. According to the allegations and expert opinions developed in the case, they continued to experience tachycardia after surgery and progressively developed hypotension, tachypnea, and hypoxia.
During the early morning hours following surgery, the patient suffered cardiac arrest and died from a massive saddle pulmonary embolism.
Experts retained on behalf of the plaintiff opined that the patient had developed a deep vein thrombosis that progressed into a pulmonary embolism during the perioperative period. They further opined that the clot continued to propagate after surgery and that the worsening vital signs were clinical indicators that required escalation to a physician.
The plaintiff's experts concluded that timely recognition and communication of the patient's declining condition would have allowed a physician to evaluate them for a pulmonary embolism and intervene.
The defendant orthopedic surgeon also expressed concerns regarding the postoperative nursing response to the patient's declining condition and, according to testimony developed in the case, agreed that the changes in the patient's vital signs warranted physician notification.
Strong Law Offices ultimately secured a $4.25 million settlement for the patient's family in the resulting wrongful death case.
Because the matter is subject to confidentiality requirements, Strong Law Offices is not disclosing information that could identify the patient, healthcare providers, or medical facility involved.
Strong Law Offices represents patients and families in serious medical malpractice and wrongful death cases throughout Illinois.
To learn more about Strong Law Offices in Peoria, visit https://www.stronglawoffices.com/ or call 309-393-2928.
Media Contact
Todd Strong, Strong Law Offices, 1 312-970-9353, [email protected], https://www.stronglawoffices.com/
SOURCE Strong Law Offices
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