Glen Carbon pain management specialist and anesthesiologist Gregory Randle, M.D. and the Edwardsville Ambulatory Surgery Center will be defending claims of negligence at trial this week in Madison County Circuit Court.
Plaintiff Connie Duft of Maryville alleges she suffered a spinal cord injury following a pain management procedure she received in January 2013 for non-debilitating neck pain.
According to her lawsuit, Randle made a steroid injection into Duft's spinal cord instead of into epidural space, which caused atrial fibrillation, weakness and paralysis to her right side, as well as extreme pain.
Duft claims that the defendants allegedly failed to properly monitor her for anxiety, movement and alertness during the cervical epidural steroid injection, and that they failed to stop the procedure when those conditions presented an increased probability of a spinal cord injury.
She further claims the defendants failed to properly evaluate her cervical spine and chose a riskier pain management procedure rather than a safer alternative pain management procedure; failed to properly use live fluoroscopy while making the injections and failed to properly place the needle in the epidural space.
She is represented by Ted Gianaris and G. Michael Stewart of the Simmons firm in Alton. They seek damages for past and future pain and suffering, emotional distress, medical expenses, earnings, caretaking expenses, nursing expenses, adaptive living expenses and the expense of necessary help.
Her husband Ronald Duft seeks damages for medical expenses, emotional distress, wages and loss of consortium.
The defendants have denied negligence.
Randle, represented by Kenneth Burke of Brown and James in Belleville, has stated in his affirmative defenses that "plaintiff failed to follow and comply with medical instructions provided to her at the time of the procedure at issue."
Edwardsville Ambulatory Surgery Center is represented by Richard J. Behr of Behr, McCarter and Potter in St. Louis.
Attempts at mediating the claims failed.
Circuit Judge William Mudge, who served as mediator, wrote on July 10 that there was "no realistic likelihood" that a mediated agreement could be achieved, "although progress was made."
Circuit Judge Barbara Crowder presides at trial.
Madison County Circuit Court case number 13-L-1695.