IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa Health Care (UIHC) has agreed to pay $3.5 million to settle two malpractice lawsuits, according to the Cedar Rapids Gazette.
The State Appeal Board approved a $1.5 million settlement for the family of Jeffrey Spahn, who died in the operating room while undergoing surgery to repair a broken leg. According to the settlement, Spahn “went into cardiac arrest and could not be resuscitated.”
Spahn’s family filed a malpractice lawsuit alleging that he should have been anticoagulated before surgery and that warning signs during the procedure should have prompted the medical team to halt the operation. The lawsuit detailed that Spahn had fallen and broken his leg, receiving initial care at UnityPoint Health Finley’s emergency room in Dubuque. He was later referred to UIHC’s Department of Orthopedics, where he was discharged without medication to reduce blood clots, aside from his daily baby aspirin…