Court Upholds $12M Verdict Against Danbury Hospital

DANBURY, CT - The state Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a $12 million judgement against Danbury Hospital for a woman who suffered through a hernia operation gone awry, The CTPost is reporting.

An earlier decision by the state Appellate Court ruled the jury had sufficient evidence to reach a verdict. The state Supreme Court today overruled that decision.

Vivian Gagliano, 65, of Redding, entered Danbury Hospital in July, 2008, for what was supposed to have been a routine laparoscopic hernia repair. The lawsuit alleges that while she was sedated, the surgical team brought in a member of the hospital's residency teaching team who had not previously been involved with the case. The attending physician allowed the resident to wield the special surgical device during the operation and perforated the woman's colon, the suit claims.

The perforation was not discovered by the attending physician before Gagliano was closed up, and as a result her heart stopped and she went into a coma. Seven more surgeries were eventually required to repair the damage, and Gagliano spent 70 days in a coma, the lawsuit said.

For more, see The CTPost.