Radiology Mistake Leads to Ruptured Aortic Ulcer, Death: $2 Million Settlement
Lawsuit claimed radiologist misread an imaging study that led to a delay in diagnosis of penetrating aortic ulcer that ruptured and caused the death of 72-year old woman
2025 Medical Malpractice Settlement Report
By Adam R. Satin, Attorney for the plaintiff
Plymouth County Superior Court, Massachusetts
Case Summary
The decedent was a 72-year old woman who presented to the Emergency Department with complaints of chest pain that radiated to her right shoulder and arm, but was sent home after a negative workup.
Five days later, she returned to the Emergency Department with worsening chest pain (10/10), along with radiating pain to her jaw and shortness of breath. She reported that this pain had been persistent since the prior visit, however it had worsened to include nausea and vomiting.
She was admitted and underwent an imaging study called a “CT Angiogram” for evaluation of a possible pulmonary embolism (PE). The radiology defendant reported no evidence of PE and (non-emergent) stenosis of the left subclavian artery. However, plaintiff’s expert radiologist identified that this CT Angiogram was misread and that the defendant radiologist negligently failed to identify a penetrating aortic ulcer in the ascending aorta along with an intramural hemorrhage.
Consequently, she was discharged home with instructions to see a vascular surgeon about the arterial stenosis.
The next day, she was found unresponsive and slumped over in a chair at home. Her husband called 911 and she was brought back to the emergency department. Resuscitative measure were unsuccessful and she was pronounced dead.
An autopsy was performed, finding that the decedent “died as the result of an aortic dissection located just distal to the aortic arch.” The autopsy also reported “extensive hemorrhage into the thorax and pericardial sac” with 1L of blood in the left hemithorax, suggesting a rupture of the aorta with resulting blood loss.
The defense team suggested that the location of the dissection, which the autopsy stated to be the cause of death, was in a different location than the lesion in the ascending aorta that was allegedly misread by the defendant.
However, plaintiff’s counsel consulted a cardiothoracic surgeon to provide expert testimony that the autopsy’s finding of blood in the pericardium itself strongly suggested that the fatal point of rupture was in the ascending portion of the aorta, which is enveloped within the pericardium. The expert opined that the location of the dissection in the descending portion of the aorta would not have any way of leading to blood being in the pericardium and, as such, was not in fact the immediate cause of her death.
The case settled for $2,000,000.00 for the plaintiff
Lubin & Meyer medical malpractice attorneys Andrew C. Meyer, Jr., and Adam R. Satin represented the plaintiff in this case.
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