Oberlin v. Akron General Medical Center

In December 1994, appellee Gregory Hill, D.O., performed a thumb joint fusion and bone graft procedure on appellant Robert C. Oberlin at Akron General Medical Center. In surgery, Hill used a pneumatic tourniquet with the assistance of a nurse. Hill dictated the tourniquet use, including its inflation pressure and the duration of the inflation. At Hill’s direction, the tourniquet remained inflated for two hours and twenty-four minutes.

Oberlin claimed that he suffered permanent damage to his left arm, hand, and ulnar nerve due to Hill’s negligence. According to expert testimony presented on…