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COOK COUNTY RECORD

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Patient alleges negligence by doctors during arterial surgery

Surgery

A patient is suing four surgeons who allegedly caused nerve, vein and arterial damage during a surgery, which required another surgery to amend their mistakes.

Harold J. Petrus filed a lawsuit July 17 in Cook County Circuit Court against Dr. Stephen J. Mendek, Dr. Alan Y. Sadah, Dr. Andrew S. Blum, Dr. Lambros Tsonis and Elmhurst Memorial Hospital as respondent in discovery.

According to the complaint, on July 19, 2013, Petrus was in the operating room at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital having a surgery called a retroperitoneal ureteral exploration and repair of a ureteral stricture. He was discharged July 26, 2013.

But soon, the suit says, Petrus sustained a left common illiac vein and artery injuries, and had to have a lump graft and bypass graft to restore blood flow to his left lower body. The need for follow-up surgery led to Petrus experiencing neuropraxia, a femoral nerve contusion that led to permanent injury and weakness in the lower left part of his body, the lawsuit states.

The complaint alleges the four doctors who performed the surgeries failed to perform the surgery properly, did not perform the right intra-operative evaluations, identify properly the plaintiff's anatomy, use proper surgical technique, have the right specialists involved in the surgery, refer the plaintiff to surgical specialists, monitor the plaintiff after his vein and artery were severed to prevent nerve damage, properly position the plaintiff to prevent nerve injury and provide the right kind of follow-up care.

The suit says the plaintiff, as a result, sustained serious injuries, additional surgery, pain and suffering, prolonged treatments, disability and medical expenses.

Petrus seeks damages in excess of the court's jurisdictional limits, plus costs and attorney fees.

He is represented by attorney Louis L. Bertrand of Bertrand Law Office in LaSalle.

Cook County Circuit Court case number 2015-L-007332.

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