Medical malpractice claim filed against Touro over patient's stroke

NEW ORLEANS – A patient is suing claiming he suffered a stroke at Touro Hospital while undergoing surgery to correct acid reflux.

Warren Carter and Frances Carter filed suit against Touro Infirmary and Michael B. Jones in the Orleans Parish Civil District Court on Sept. 8.

Warren Carter claims he began experiencing chest pains in 2003. Carter then underwent treatment at Ochsner Health Center where he was originally diagonosed with acid reflux. In April 2004, Carter sought treatment at Methodist Hospital where a doctor insisted Carter undergo immediate surgery to fix several blockages in his cardiac arteries. Shortly after Carter underwent a successful open-heart surgery, the suit says.

In 2009, because of a switch in insurance providers, Carter began seeing Dr. Shelton Barnes, a general practitioner at Touro Infirmary. However, under Barnes's care he allegedly failed to receive specific cardiac monitoring. In August 2009, Carter’s chest pain rematerialized. As a result, Barnes, heeding Carter’s request of seeking a more experienced cardiologist, referred him to Dr. Micheal B. Jones.

In November 2012, Dr. Jones diagnosed Carter with coronary artery disease recommending surgery for Sept. 10, 2013. During the surgery, Carter suffered a stroke, allegedly due to Jones’s negligence and disregard from the standard procedure of care.

The plaintiff contends that as a result of the stroke he sustained debilitating pain and an inability to move the entire left side of his body.

Frances Carter, the wife of the plaintiff, is seeking an unspecified amount in damages for loss of companionship, consortium and society.

The plaintiff is represented by G. Karl Bernard of G. Karl Bernard & Associates LLC.

The case has been assigned to Div. C Judge Sidney H. Cates IV.

Case no. 2014-08806.