Advocate Lutheran General Hospital sued after patient suffers vision loss

A man is suing over claims the surgery he underwent at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital led to permanent injuries and vision loss.

Steven and Genevieve Dechant filed a medical malpractice lawsuit April 10 in the Cook County Circuit Court against Advocate Health and Hospitals Corporation, doing business as Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, Midwest Anesthesia Partners, formerly known as Park Ridge Anesthesiology Associates Ltd., and Drs. Robert C. Mayer and Kerosh Takhtehchian.

According to the complaint, Steven Dechant donated blood at a Lifesource location in Rosemont on Feb. 28, 2012 and was admitted to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital for a lumbar laminectomy on April 11, 2012.

Mayer was the assigned anesthesiologist and Takhtehchian was involved in post-operative care, the suit states. Dechant claims that in the days following the surgery, he required several blood transfusions and experienced vision loss.

He alleges the defendants failed to place him on the operating table to avoid pressure on his face and eyes, and failed to properly diagnose post-operative ailments like anemia and medications in light of his blood pressure status.

The Dechants are seeking more than $50,000 in damages and are being represented in the case by attorneys Mark E. McNabola and Ruth M. Degnan of McNabola Law Group P.C.

The suit also names the following as respondents in discovery: Dr. William G. Soden; Dr. Avi J. Bernstein, individually and as an agent or employee of The Spine Center S.C.; Lifesource, doing business as Lifesource Blood Services; The Institute for Transfusion Medicine, doing business as Lifesource and/or Lifesource Blood Services' ACL Laboratories Inc., a joint venture between Advocate Health Care and Aurora Health Care Inc., individually and doing business as Center for Advanced Care; and Advocate Healthcare Network, doing business as Advocate Health Care and Aurora Health Care Inc.

Cook County Circuit Court Case No. 2014L004066.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in the Cook County Circuit Court. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.