She lived with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, a chronic pain condition that affects her daily life, her mobility, her ability to function. After years of suffering, she had undergone implantation of a spinal cord stimulator, a device designed to help manage her chronic pain symptoms by delivering targeted electrical impulses to her spinal cord.
The device had helped. It gave her some relief, some ability to reclaim parts of her life that pain had stolen from her. But two of the leads associated with the device failed.
The solution seemed straightforward: undergo revision surgery to replace the damaged components and restore the pain management system that had been helping her. She prepared for the procedure. She trusted that the surgical team had done everything necessary to ensure her safety.
Then, approximately 45 minutes into the surgery, with her spine exposed and the surgical field open, the surgical table unexpectedly collapsed.
It wasn’t a gradual failure. It was sudden. The table gave way beneath her. Although she was secured to the table and didn’t fall, the incident created chaos in the operating room. More importantly, it shattered the sterile surgical environment that is critical to preventing infection and complications.
The surgeon made the only responsible decision: it was unsafe to continue the procedure. The original spinal cord stimulator had already been removed from her body, but the replacement device had not yet been implanted. She was closed up surgically, left without the pain management device that had been helping her, and sent to recover.
She would have to wait approximately two months before a second surgery could be attempted.
A Cascade of Complications
Allison Pritchard represented this woman in her medical malpractice claim against the surgical facility and surgical team.
Our legal team investigated what had caused the surgical table to collapse. The answer was negligent surgical preparation: a missing pin that should have been installed during the setup of the surgical table was not in place. No one had properly inspected or verified that the table was assembled correctly before the patient was placed on it and the surgery began.
One missing pin. One negligent oversight. The consequences would affect this woman for years to come. But the cascade of complications didn’t end with the table collapse.
During the two-month wait before the second surgery, her body did what bodies do after surgical trauma and tissue manipulation: it developed excessive scar tissue around the surgical area. When surgeons attempted the revision procedure to implant the replacement spinal cord stimulator leads, they discovered that the scarring prevented placement of the new leads in their original location.
Forced to adapt, surgeons implanted new paddle leads in a different area of her cervical spine, not because it was optimal, but because anatomical changes made it the only option available.
And then, as if this woman’s ordeal wasn’t enough, the new placement created a new problem: spinal cord compression.
The compression became severe enough to create a real risk of permanent neurological injury, including paralysis. She faced the prospect of losing function in her limbs, of permanent disability beyond the chronic pain she already lived with.
There was only one option: undergo a third surgery to remove the spinal cord stimulator entirely.
After three procedures, multiple complications, months of additional suffering, and the loss of the device that had been helping manage her pain, she was back where she started, living with untreated Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, without the technological relief she had hoped would give her a better quality of life.
Negligent Surgical Preparation That Changed Everything
The case involved clear allegations of negligence: failure to properly assemble surgical equipment, failure to inspect and verify that the surgical table was safe before use, and injuries arising directly from the collapse of that table during an open spine procedure.
Our legal team built a comprehensive case demonstrating that this cascade of complications- the compromised sterile field, the delayed second procedure, the excessive scar tissue, the placement of leads in a suboptimal location, the resulting spinal cord compression, and the need for a third surgery to remove the device—all traced back to negligent surgical preparation.
The surgical facility had one job: ensure that the operating room and all equipment were ready for patient safety. They failed to do that. They failed to install a simple pin. They failed to inspect their equipment. And that failure set in motion a chain of events that cost this woman her pain management device and subjected her to three surgeries instead of one.
What This Settlement Means
This $525,000 settlement is recognition that negligent surgical preparation has real consequences. It’s accountability for a surgical facility that failed to follow basic safety protocols. It’s compensation for a woman who underwent three surgeries instead of one, who lost the device that was helping her manage chronic pain, and who now lives with ongoing suffering that could have been prevented.
But this case is bigger than one patient’s injury. It’s a reminder that surgical facilities have fundamental responsibilities: to prepare operating rooms properly, to inspect equipment thoroughly, to verify that every component: every pin, every connection, every safety mechanism- is in place before a patient’s life is placed in their hands.
Operating rooms are places where people trust that every detail matters. That every protocol is followed. That every safety step has been completed. When surgical facilities cut corners or fail to inspect their equipment, patients pay the price.
Insurance companies and surgical facilities often try to minimize the role of equipment failure. They argue that the patient survived the table collapse. They focus on the fact that she didn’t fall. They downplay the significance of a compromised sterile field.
We refused to let that narrative stand. We demonstrated that the negligent preparation of the surgical table directly caused her complications and required her to undergo multiple surgeries and ultimately lose the device that was helping her manage her chronic pain.
This settlement reflects the true cost of that negligence: the three surgeries, the pain management device she lost, the additional suffering, and the reality that this entire cascade of complications was preventable.
Surgical Equipment Safety: A Critical Responsibility
Patients undergoing surgery place their trust in medical facilities. That trust is built on the assumption that every detail has been checked, every protocol has been followed, and every piece of equipment has been inspected and verified to be safe.
In operating rooms, equipment failures can have catastrophic consequences. A surgical table isn’t just furniture—it’s a critical piece of medical equipment that holds a patient safely during a procedure. When a table is not properly assembled, when critical components like locking pins are missing, when no inspection is performed before use, the risk to the patient is severe.
Spinal surgery is particularly sensitive to equipment failures. The patient’s spine is exposed. The spinal cord, the bundle of nerves that controls movement and sensation throughout the body, is at risk. Any movement of the surgical table, any unexpected shift or collapse, can compromise the sterile field and create the risk of infection, or worse, can cause direct damage to the spinal cord.
In this case, the surgical facility’s negligence created exactly these risks. The missing pin should never have happened. The table should have been inspected. The patient should have been safe.
CRPS and Spinal Cord Stimulators: When Treatment Becomes Complicated
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome is a chronic pain condition that can be severe and debilitating. For some patients, traditional pain management approaches: medication, physical therapy, other interventions don’t provide adequate relief. In these cases, a spinal cord stimulator may be recommended.
A spinal cord stimulator works by delivering electrical impulses to the spinal cord, interrupting pain signals and providing relief. For many patients, this device can be life-changing—providing enough pain relief to allow them to work, to exercise, to enjoy their lives in ways that chronic pain had prevented.
But spinal cord stimulator implantation is surgery. It carries risks. It requires precision. It requires that the surgical environment remain sterile. It requires that the procedure be completed successfully in a single operation if possible, because revision surgeries carry additional risks of scarring and complications.
This woman’s case demonstrates what can happen when surgical preparation fails and complications cascade. Her revision surgery became three surgeries. Her pain management device was ultimately removed. She was left worse off than before she sought treatment.
You Deserve Accountability for Surgical Negligence
If you or a loved one has suffered complications from a surgical procedure due to equipment failure, negligent surgical preparation, compromised sterile field, or any other form of surgical negligence, don’t accept explanations that minimize the facility’s responsibility.
Surgical negligence cases are complex. They require expert analysis from surgeons and medical specialists. They require understanding of surgical protocols and safety standards. But when negligence is clear, when a facility failed to follow basic safety procedures, patients deserve full accountability.
Our legal team has the experience to evaluate your case, consult with surgical experts, and build a compelling argument for fair compensation.
Get Fair Compensation for Surgical Negligence
If you believe surgical negligence caused your injury or your loved one’s injury, don’t delay. The legal process in medical malpractice cases takes time, and there are strict deadlines for filing.
We work on a Zero Fee Guarantee: no win, no fee. Schedule your free consultation today and discuss your case with our legal team. We’ll listen to your story, review your surgical records and incident reports, and explain what your case is worth.
Your surgical experience matters. Your safety mattered. The facility’s negligence should be held accountable.
