HONOLULU (AP) — The U.S. government has agreed to pay $850,000 to settle a man’s medical malpractice lawsuit that says prostate cancer surgery at a Honolulu military hospital left him incontinent, impotent and blind. ADVERTISING HONOLULU (AP) — The U.S.
HONOLULU (AP) — The U.S. government has agreed to pay $850,000 to settle a man’s medical malpractice lawsuit that says prostate cancer surgery at a Honolulu military hospital left him incontinent, impotent and blind.
The settlement amount was announced Monday in federal court in Honolulu.
Robert Carl and his wife sued the government in 2013 over complications from robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy surgery at Tripler Army Medical Center. Negligent medical decisions by hospital staff left him with nearly total blindness, the lawsuit said, and he also emerged from surgery impotent and incontinent.
Carl, of Aiea, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in April 2010. Prior to undergoing surgery in June 2010, his doctor didn’t tell him blindness could result if the procedure lasted more than five hours, the lawsuit said.
The surgery lasted nearly seven hours. According to the lawsuit, proficient surgeons can perform the operation in 2 ½ hours. “The surgeon with the more expertise can perform the same robotic surgery and faster than one with less experience,” the lawsuit said.
In court papers responding to the lawsuit, government attorneys deny all allegations of negligence. The government isn’t admitting any negligence by settling.
Medical malpractice settlements are often confidential, except when a government institution is involved.
