On Feb. 23, a judge awarded $1.27 million to a woman who said she has permanent nerve damage due to an error made during a surgical biopsy. In 2003, Hazel McLeod underwent a biopsy of her right breast performed by Dr. James Connaughton, a surgical resident under the supervision of hospital staff surgeon Broadus Atkin at the U.S. Air Force’s Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio. McLeod alleged she sustained nerve damage in her right shoulder during the surgery due to Connaughton’s failure to make the incision in the correct location. She also said she was unaware the procedure would be performed by a resident and did not give informed consent. The doctors argued that the surgery didn’t cause McLeod’s injuries, and they maintained McLeod knew it would be performed by a resident. The judge found McLeod had given informed consent but that the surgeons had committed malpractice in their choice of incision site.
McLeod, et al. v. United States, et al., No. 5:06-cv-00017-WRF
