A pregnant woman is suing doctors, practices and a medical institution, alleging unnecessary heart surgery.
Morgan Vaughan filed a complaint June 19 in Cook County Circuit Court against Dr. Nihal Gooneratne, Radiology Imaging Consultants, Radiology Imaging Consultants Management, Advocate Health and Hospitals Corp., Hospital Sisters Health System, St. Mary's Hospital Streator of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, Dr. Vijay Desai, Dr. James R. Munns, Midwest Emergency Department Services, Healthcare Midwest and OSF Healthcare System.
According to the complaint, on June 22, 2013, Vaughan went to the emergency room at St. Mary's Hospital in Streator with chest pains and she was in her 28th week of pregnancy. A CT scan of her chest, the lawsuit sates, which was evaluated by defendant Gooneratne showed a "dissection of the ascending aorta."
She was transferred to OSF Healthcare System on the same day, the lawsuit states, for an emergency thoracotomy and the surgery revealed that Vaughan had a normal aorta with no aortic dissection. As a result, the suit says, Vaughan suffered nerve injury to her leg, pain and suffering, unnecessary surgery, loss of a normal life, disability, disfigurement and medical expense.
Vaughan seeks unspecified damages, plus costs. She is represented by attorneys Craig L. Manchik and Lynne Plum Duffey of the Law Offices of Craig L. Manchik and Associates in Chicago.
Cook County Circuit Court case number 2015L006321.