Part of Judgement Reduced in Shreveport Malpractice Lawsuit

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals has reduced part of a judgement in a medical malpractice lawsuit against Dr. Anil Nanda and LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport.

Lawsuits filed against the doctor and the medical center by Barbara Wise were later consolidated into one case, which stemmed from a decompressive cervical laminectomy performed by Dr. Nanda, a neurosurgeon, after Wise complained of right shoulder weakness.

According to court information, Dr. Nanda attempted to operate on Mrs. Wise a couple of times, and during the course of the second surgery, the doctor made a small tear in the membrane covering Wise's spinal cord and tried to repair it with glue.

Wise underwent another surgery to repair the tear, and was left with quadriparesis, a weakness in all four extremities. She went through aggressive rehabilitation, and later ended up with blood clots in her legs.

During a jury trial in August 2014, LSU was found to have been negligent in Wise's treatment, and that negligence contributed to the damage she suffered.

The jury awarded more than $1.4-million for medical care and related benefits from the date of injury to the date of the verdict; over $1-million for future medical expenses and related benefits; $517,000 for economic loss; and $250,000 for Barbara's pain and suffering.

The awards were to be subject to these allocations of fault: LSU - 65%, Wise - 10%, and third party - 25%.

LSU appealed the future medical care from injury to verdict, and the award for economic loss. The appeals court judge reduced the medical care award to more than $904,000, but affirmed all other awards.