In 2007, Keonte Graham had been tested for sleep apnea, having approximately 50 episodes per hour of low blood oxygen. He underwent surgery to correct this. The procedure involved removing his adenoids, tonsils, and inserting tubes in his ears. During operation, however, there were some conditions that were overlooked.
Keonte’s medical history and his symptoms meant that he was at a high risk for low blood oxygen during and after surgery. Immediately after the operation, Graham had trouble breathing and was kept in the recovery room for five hours due to low blood oxygen.
The claim was that Dr. Andrew Shapiro did not take Graham’s medical history into account following surgery, and let him be placed in a standard room instead of intensive care. Additionally, he did not order the staff to continue monitoring Graham’s blood oxygen levels. This led to Graham being discovered in a code blue status, and he had to be resuscitated. This caused brain damage that could be seen on an MRI exam.
Developmentally, Graham is now about 1 ½ years behind his peers on many developmental levels and it is uncertain how or if he will catch up. In the lawsuit, Graham’s family will receive $1.1 million, which will be kept in a trust fund that will pay for Keonte’s needs.
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