A court has awarded $20 million to a man who alleged that his left leg had to be amputated after his blood clot was misdiagnosed as sciatica by staff at Lowell (Mass.) General Hospital, according to The Boston Globe.
According to court documents, the patient went to Lowell General's emergency department twice due to pain in his leg. The man alleged that the blood clot in his leg was misdiagnosed as sciatica, which refers to pain, weakness, numbness, or tingling in the leg.
The jury deliberated for nine and a half hours over two days before deciding on the $20 million verdict, the state's largest in a medical malpractice case this year, according to The Globe.
"We are deeply disappointed any time our patient care does not meet our standards for exceptional care," a hospital spokesperson said in a statement shared with Becker's. "While patient privacy laws prevent us from commenting on specific details, we take any negative outcomes very seriously and they are reviewed extensively. The health and safety of our patients remains our highest priority."