A man from North Carolina is suing a number of medical offices and doctors for NC medical malpractice after he underwent a right side shoulder surgery that permanently damaged his left shoulder. Bobby Campbell has filed a North Carolina lawsuit against Duke University Health System, Critical Health systems of North Carolina, and Southeastern Orthopedics Sports Medicine And Shoulder Center, as well as health professionals Donald Edmondson, Cynthia Kaeger, and Kevin Speer.
Campbell says that he suffered a right shoulder injury in November 2003 while on the job as a plumber at Cape Fear Valley Hospital in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He suffered a rotator tear as well as joint degenerative disease and was told he required surgery. When he went in for surgery on his right shoulder, he was placed in the beach chair position and his upper body was secured, padded, and protected. However, when Campbell woke up, he immediately reported new pain in his left arm, elbow, and fingers.
Since his shoulder surgery, Campbell has struggled with pain along his left arm and was referred to a long-term pain management clinic. His left arm has been diagnosed with ulnar nerve neuropathy. Since he had not experienced any problems with his left arm before the surgery, he believes that his left arm, left wrist, and left hand were not properly monitored during his right shoulder surgery.
During the NC medical malpractice trial, a medical expert confirmed that since his symptoms appeared so quickly after the surgery, his nerve damages was most probably caused by a mistake made during the right shoulder operation.