An Ohio-based medical malpractice lawsuit recently ended in a $2 million judgment against a doctor who performed tonsillectomies on twin boys at Memorial Hospital of Union County in Ohio. This judgment comes after a two-week trial that proved to be an emotional ordeal for all those involved.

During the two-week trial, the court heard testimony from doctors and the family of A.J. and Joshua Legge, twin boys who died shortly after seeing a Marysville otolaryngologist for a routine tonsillectomies procedure. According to doctors, the procedure went as planned and the boys were sent home the same day. Just a day after the procedure one of the boys stopped breathing and was rushed to the hospital. As the child's parents were at the hospital, the other boy began to suffocate in the same manner. Both boys died on the same day.

During testimony, doctors expressed that the boys both had a history of snoring and trouble breathing while sleeping. "The defendant testified that the twins suffered from an underlying, undetected pre-existing condition that prevented them from adequately processing the pain medication prescribed to ease discomfort following surgery." Ultimately, their conditions contributed to their death. Their death was listed as cerebral edema, or fluid in the brain.

The parents of the children did in fact tell the doctors of their pre-existing condition but the doctors did not see it as dangerous. The family claims in their suit that doctors should have kept the children in the hospital overnight for observation, where their oxygen levels could have been monitored. The court found "that keeping the children overnight was within their doctor's power and is standard practice for children less than three years of age who suffer from breathing problems."

The jury deliberated for five hours before finding the matter to be a doctor mistake. The family was awarded $2 million in damages.

Source: Lawyers and Settlements "Tragic Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Ends in $2 Million Plaintiff Award" 08/11/2010