Professional Negligence Law Reporter

Lawrence Powder, 75, experienced chest pain while shoveling snow. A subsequent workup revealed that he had had a heart attack and that he suffered from non-obstructive coronary artery disease in the left anterior descending artery. Cardiologist Jan Skowronski performed intracoronary optical coherence tomography (OCT), a catheter-based invasive imaging procedure.

During the OCT, the guide catheter tore Powder’s left main coronary artery. Additionally, after he was injected with contrast dye, he suffered a massive coronary artery dissection. Despite several hours of emergency treatment, Powder died. He is survived by his wife and adult son.

Powder’s wife, on behalf of his estate, sued OSF Multi-Specialty Group, of which Skowronski was an agent, alleging that the physician had failed to obtain informed consent for the OCT procedure, which was unnecessary and negligently performed. The plaintiff asserted that Skowronski had failed to use nitroglycerine, used a catheter that was too large, and failed to aim the catheter straight in.

The jury found in favor of the plaintiff and awarded $1.1 million in damages.

Citation: Powder v. OSF Multi-Specialty Grp., No. 18 L 251 (Ill. Cir. Ct. Winnebago Cty. June 4, 2021).

Plaintiff counsel: AAJ members Keith A. Hebeisen and Sarah F. King, both of Chicago; and Kevin J. Frost, Rockford, Ill.

Plaintiff expert: Neal Shadoff, interventional cardiology, Albuquerque, N.M.

Defense experts: Amish Raval, interventional cardiology, Madison, Wis.; and Jacqueline Saw, interventional cardiology, Vancouver, British Columbia.