$6.75 Million Settlement Against The University of Illinois at Chicago Hospitals

The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois has agreed to pay $6.75 million to the family of an 18 year old male who died of an overwhelming abdominal infection 13 days after donating a kidney to his older brother.

When he was young, the decedent in this case told his older brother, who had been on dialysis since the age of eight, that he would donate one of his kidneys to him when he turned 18 years-old so his brother would not have to endure dialysis anymore.

After the young man celebrated his 18th birthday, the brothers presented to the Transplant Unit at the University to begin the process. The 18 year-old underwent tests to determine his eligibility and compatibility and passed with flying colors. A psychological evaluation performed on May 26, 2006, concluded that he had “a deep compassion for his brother’s well being” and harbored “no ambivalence” regarding his decision to be a donor. The young man told the evaluator that his brother “has a lot of dreams and deserves a chance. He has been through so much.”

The decedent underwent surgery at the University of Illinois at Chicago on June 15, 2006 for removal of his kidney. The surgery seemed to have been without complication, but following the procedure, he complained of abdominal pain and vomiting. Over the ensuing days, the treating doctors and staff attempted to determine the cause of his symptoms as they were concerned he might have developed a bowel obstruction. When he continued to deteriorate, additional tests were conducted but none revealed the cause of the problem. Finally, on the afternoon of June 28, the young man lost his blood pressure and went into cardiorespiratory arrest and died.

Corboy & Demetrio partner David R. Barry, Jr., who handled this case, stated:

This was an incredibly sad case. Once the 18 year-old developed abdominal signs and symptoms and the cause was not identified, he needed an exploratory surgery to rule out the worst case scenario: a bowel perforation and resulting peritonitis. The autopsy demonstrated that is exactly what he had. He died of overwhelming sepsis due to the bowel perforation. Even if the diagnosis had been made as late as June 27, he probably could have been saved.

In addition to his brother, the young man is survived by his mother and his sister. According to his sister, he was working toward his GED because he wanted to be a police officer.