Doctors’ failure to diagnose post-operative brain fluid results in death of young girl

Settlement for parents of 11-year-old girl after her tragic and preventable death at a Boston hospital. Following laser surgery to remove a benign brain tumor, the child began vomiting and complaining of nausea that was not helped with medication. She later became extremely sleepy, and the nurse had to shake the patient in order to wake her up. The ICU team decided the patient’s symptoms were a reaction to the anesthesia and medication, and negligently failed to order any testing or imaging to rule out brain swelling or fluid buildup. Hours later the child became unresponsive. It was discovered she had hydrocephalus, a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain, and she developed severe complications as a result. The girl lapsed into a coma and passed away days later.