LOUISIANA RECORD

NEW ORLEANS – A Terrebonne Parish woman is suing a New Orleans hospital alleging she was burned when a machine malfunctioned.

Maria Andrews filed suit against Touro Infirmary and the unknown manufacturer of the machine in the Orleans Parish Civil District Court on Jan. 7. Her husband, George, is also a plaintiff in the litigation.

The suit stems for injuries Andrews claims she sustained during the course of treatment for a left renal artery pseudoaneurysm and angiomyolipoma.

According to the suit, on Jan. 12, 2012, Andrews was admitted to Touro for an embolization procedure to treat a kidney problem.  Andrews and her husband were told that the procedure would take about 20 minutes, but it lasted over 81 minutes, the suit states.

Andrews was given pain medication continuously until her release on Jan. 17, and claims she was not examined before she was discharged.

After she returned home she discovered a large red patch with octagonal shapes that was changing color on her back. It was later determined to be a radiation burn, according to the suit. Andrews is still in treatment for this burn and it has yet to heal.

The suit claims that Touro failing to properly calibrate, service or maintain the device used in Maria Andrew’s fluoroscopic procedure.

The defendant is accused of exposing Maria Andrews to dangerous amounts of radiation during her embolization procedure, failing to properly maintain the device used for the procedure, failing to properly inspect the device used for the procedure and of failing to notify the plaintiff that she had been overexposed to radiation during the procedure.

An unspecified amount of damages is sought for keen mental anguish, embarrassment, humiliation and emotional distress, pain and suffering, reasonable fear and fright associated with contracting cancer, the need for medical monitoring, medical expenses, loss of enjoyment of life, lost wages and loss of consortium in the case of George Andrews.

The plaintiffs are represented by Kara Hadican Samuels of Sangisetty & Samuels LLC.

The case has been assigned to Division A Judge Tiffany G. Chase.

Case No. 2013-00138.