Professional Negligence Law Reporter

William Stokes, 66, went to a hospital emergency room, complaining of shortness of breath, dizziness, and generalized pain and weakness. He underwent an EKG, which was abnormal, and a chest X-ray, which was normal. After Stokes was admitted, hospitalist Ikue Nakayama ordered a D-dimer test to rule out pulmonary embolism and later left the hospital, transferring Stokes’s care to another hospitalist, who was not told of the pending test result.

Stokes became anxious, and his respiratory rate increased. A nurse notified the second hospitalist, who ordered Ativan. Approximately two hours later, Stokes passed out. A code was called, and Stokes was intubated, but he died shortly after. An autopsy revealed that the cause was an untreated pulmonary embolism. Stokes is survived by his wife and four adult children.

Stokes’s estate sued Nakayama, her group, and the hospital operator, alleging failure to diagnose and treat a pulmonary embolism. The plaintiff argued that Nakayama left the hospital without obtaining the results of the D-dimer test, which the hospital wrongfully rescheduled and delayed. Suit also charged that Nakayama failed to communicate Stokes’s condition to the second hospitalist. The plaintiff did not claim lost income.

The jury awarded $3.1 million.

Citation: Stokes v. MultiCare Health Sys., No. 17-2-00191-1 KNT (Wash. Super. Ct. King Cnty. Oct. 22, 2018).

Plaintiff counsel: Felix Gavi Luna and Tomas Gahan, both of Seattle.

Plaintiff experts: Scott Stuart, hospital medicine, Kirkland, Wash.; and Margaret Hall, cardiology, and Kathleen Gibson, vascular surgery, both of Seattle.

Defense experts: Elizabeth Plotkin, internal medicine, and Joshua Benditt, pulmonology, both of Seattle; and Scott Bonvallet, pulmonology, Bellevue, Wash.