Lou La Cava and Barbara Chapman received a defense verdict in a medical malpractice case tried in Hillsborough County. Plaintiff alleged a hospital was negligent as a result of its ICU nurse not appropriately performing neurological examinations on a sedated ventilated patient. Plaintiff argued the nurse should have reduced the patient’s sedation in order to determine his neurologic status. They further alleged if that was done she would have discovered that the Plaintiff was paralyzed which would have resulted in evaluation by a neurosurgeon. The patient was ultimately diagnosed with a thoracic spinal epidural abscess. He ended up a quadriplegic and ventilator dependent. Plaintiff argued that earlier surgery would have improved the patient’s outcome. The patient ultimately made a decision he could not continue to live with his condition. He decided to have the ventilator removed and passed away. After a 9 day trial the jury returned a verdict finding the hospital was not negligent and did not cause the patient’s death.