We are pleased to have settled our client’s federal lawsuit relating to a botched orthopedic surgery for $300,000.

The client was scheduled to undergo a right thumb basal joint arthroplasty at a Veterans Affairs hospital to address pain in his wrist and hand. Remarkably, however, the VA orthopedic surgeon simply removed the wrong bone during the operation.

Our expert hand surgeon noted that the two bones at issue are anatomically distinct with unique identifying articular facets and ligamentous attachments—in other words, there was no reason that the VA surgeon should not have removed the intended bone. To compound the problem, the surgeon did not realize he had removed the wrong bone until more than 16 months after the surgery. In fact, despite living for more than a year with worsened pain, the VA surgeon failed to order simple x-rays to assess the cause of the veteran’s symptoms.

Because of the botched surgery, the veteran’s pain and loss of mobility in his hand was only made worse by the surgeon’s medical malpractice. Thankfully we were able to settle the case early in litigation for $300,000 so this veteran can gain some closure and move on.