Couple accuses Northwestern Memorial Hospital, doctor of not diagnosing lung mass

A Cook County hospital and doctor are facing a medical malpractice suit over claims they failed to properly diagnose a mass in a patient's lung.

Thomas Pfeiffer and Judith Pfeiffer filed a lawsuit on June 26 in the Cook County Circuit Court against Northwestern Memorial Healthcare, doing business as Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and Dr. Frederick Hoff, alleging medical malpractice and loss of companionship.

According to the suit, Thomas was a patient of Hoff at Northwestern Memorial Hospital on July 7, 2010. The couple claims Hoff performed a CT scan on Thomas for a left lung nodule, but failed to diagnose the abnormality or consult with other physicians to determine treatment.

The Pfeiffers claim as a result of Hoff's alleged negligence, a mass in Thomas's lung that was  diagnosed on March 12, 2013 has grown substantially in size, requiring invasive surgery and resulting in pain and suffering.

They are seeking damages in excess of $50,000 and are being represented by Chicago attorney Zane D. Smith of Zane D. Smith & Associates Ltd.

Cook County Circuit Court Case No. 2014L006799.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed at the Cook County Courthouse. 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.