Patient accuses medical providers of negligence during colonoscopy

MacNeal Hospital and a pair of doctors are being sued by a patient who claims his colon was perforated and he went into septic shock following a colonoscopy.

Ezequiel Flores filed a lawsuit May 12 in the Cook County Circuit Court against Medicor Partners S.C., VHS of Illinois Inc., doing business as MacNeal Hospital, and Drs. Heriberto Martinez and Manuel Alva,citing medical malpractice.

Flores claims he was admitted to MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn on Jan. 8, 2013, where he was placed on blood thinners and advised to have a colonoscopy as a routine screening.

The suit alleges Flores told the defendants he didn't want to have a colonoscopy. He claims he didn't understand the risks involved, the availability of alternatives or that colonoscopies as a routine screening are discouraged for his age group.

According to the brief, Alva perforated Flores's colon during the procedure, causing his abdomen to become contaminated with fecal material and septic shock, which required him to be hospitalized for 30 days.

Flores is seeking damages in excess of $50,000 and court costs. He is being represented in the case by Chicago attorney Steven S. Shonder of Law Offices of Steven S. Shonder.

Cook County Circuit Court Case No. 2014L005131.

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.