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A surgical technician’s surprise testimony has led to a $2.15 million medical malpractice award for a former ballerina who sued her surgeon and a Florida hospital for an alleged botched hip arthroscopy.
Katie Shreffler, who was 17 at the time of her initial operation to repair a labral tear, now walks with a cane.
According to court documents, Shreffler had a second operation on her hip one year later to alleviate continued pain and limited mobility following the first surgery performed by Dr. Marc Philippon at Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale. Her second surgeon informed her that he had found gouges in her cartilage caused by a sharp instrument. She then filed suit against Dr. Philippon and Holy Cross Hospital, claiming negligence.
Julia Snogles, a surgical technician who was present during Shreffler’s procedure in 1997, testified that Dr. Philippon told her the surgery was a new procedure and that he was new at performing it. During the procedure, he created a third opening; when Snogles asked him why, he said it was to remove a foreign object. Plaintiff attorneys argued that Dr. Philippon’s inexperience led him to apply too much pressure to the instruments used in the procedure; however, Snogles also testified she never saw a foreign object being removed.
Snogles’ testimony became an issue in the appeal; the District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District denied the defense a rehearing on their appeal.
To read more about this medical malpractice award, see Surprise Testimony From Surgical Tech Leads to $2.15M Malpractice Award.