Oregon hospital sued for $7M by patient 'too large' for MRI
A patient deemed too big to fit inside an MRI machine and sent home has filed a $7 million medical negligence lawsuit against Providence Health and Services, according to an article published June 21 by the Portland Business Journal.
The plaintiff, Lawrence Jackson, had complained of sharp back pain, a fever, elevated pulse and blood pressure, chills and loss of appetite, according to the suit filed June 1 in the Multonomah Country Circuit Court in Oregon.
Jackson was treated at Providence St. Vincent Hospital in West Haven-Sylvan, Oregon in September 2016 by Thomas Calverley, MD. Calverley wanted to get an MRI of Jackson's back but instead sent him home because he realized Jackson was "too large" to fit inside the MRI machine, according to the article.
Jackson was admitted to Providence St. Vincent ER six days later. After undergoing a CT scan of his lower spine, he was diagnosed with a low thoracic epidural abscess and underwent emergency surgery. Jackson now has permanent paraplegia and has accumulated $1 million in medical bills.
Read the Portland Business Journal's entire story:
A recent graduate from Dominican University (IL) with a bachelor’s in journalism, Melissa joined TriMed’s Chicago team in 2017 covering all aspects of health imaging. She’s a fan of singing and playing guitar, elephants, a good cup of tea, and her golden retriever Cooper.