One mistake doctors made after man develops 'locked-in' syndrome following chiropractor visit
A man has been left with locked-in syndrome due to negligent doctors.
In 2015, Jonathan Buckelew was rushed to North Fulton Hospital, Georgia, after he'd visited a chiropractor for a neck adjustment.
But little did he know that he would come back from the appointment a completely different person after suffering a series of health issues afterwards, ultimately leaving him with locked-in syndrome (LiS).
As per Cleveland Clinic, this is 'a rare and serious neurological disorder that happens when a part of your brainstem is damaged, usually from a stroke'.
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"People with LiS have total paralysis but still have consciousness and their normal cognitive abilities," it adds.
Now 34, Jonathan needs round the clock care from his parents and a team of nurses.
He can only communicate via blinking or typing on a keypad with his nose.
His mom and dad, Jack and Janice Buckelew, have renovated their whole home to make it suitable for Jonathan and his needs.
Jack told Atlanta News First: "He wants to do things, he wants to go places. It just breaks our heart to see him like he is."
As to how he ended up developing the rare condition, during his chiropractor appointment Jonathan became dizzy and disorientated, growing less responsive as time went on.
He was rushed to the emergency room. It was here that a team of healthcare experts are said to have failed to properly diagnose Jonathan with a stroke.
Twelve hours went by before they worked it out. As result of them missing this, Jonathan developed LiS.
A court found that the chiropractor and the hospital were not liable for what happened to Jonathan.
However, it ruled that an ER doctor and a radiologist had been 'grossly negligent' for not identifying that Jonathan was having a stroke.
He has since been awarded a staggering $75,000,000 in damages. The win has been hailed as largest ER malpractice verdict in Georgia history.
Attorney Lloyd Bell said, Atlanta News First reports: "Jonathan was having a stroke when he came to the hospital and they missed it.
"The people who were responsible for reading the radiographs misread it. The ER doctor saw this patient was having all these signs and symptoms of stroke and never called a stroke alert, and they had policies in place that they were supposed to follow certain protocols to reach the correct diagnosis, and they didn’t follow their policies and procedures."
The jury agreed with such sentiments and found two doctors liable. One of the ER doctors tried to appeal the decision, but an appellate court affirmed the ruling against him.
The same doctor has now filed an appeal with Georgia’s state supreme court, which hasn't yet decided if it will take the case.
Niamh Shackleton