Physician sues after hospital allegedly ‘lost track’ of pediatric patient, who later died

A neurosurgeon in Michigan has filed a lawsuit against his employer, alleging he was retaliated against for voicing concerns over patient safety following an incident in which a 1-year-old died at the facility.

Sudesh Ebenezer, MD, claims Hurley Medical Center “lost track” of the young patient, whom he had been contracted by the hospital to provide services for. The child had been admitted for a traumatic head injury, according to the lawsuit, which required expert analysis and possible surgical intervention.

Ebenezer said he was called to the hospital on Dec. 9, 2022, only to discover the patient had not received any of the necessary tests or care, including a CT scan and blood coagulation tests.

He also claims the hospital failed to “correct gross coagulation abnormalities, failed to correct ongoing high pCO2 levels, and failed to obtain chest imaging in a timely fashion.”

According to the lawsuit, staff believed the child had been moved to another hospital; however, that allegedly never happened. The patient died the next day while still at Hurley Medical Center.

When Ebenezer expressed outrage over the incident, he said the administration retaliated by removing him from the hospital’s trauma panel and questioning his “timeliness” and “engagement of care” in an official letter.

By removing him from the panel, the lawsuit contends, Ebenezer took a significant pay cut, while Hurley Medical Center failed to address any of his concerns regarding the patient’s unknown whereabouts. 

He is seeking unspecified damages.

HealthExec has reached out to Hurley Medical Center for comment and will update this story if a statement is received. For more details, read coverage in the Kansas City Star, one of the first outlets to report on the news.