Hutchinson v. Broadlawns Medical Center

LARSON, Justice.

Billy Paul Hutchinson died as the result of severe staph infection allegedly caused by the negligence of the defendants. A verdict for $250,000 was returned for the plaintiff estate, but a companion claim by the decedent’s granddaughter for loss of consortium was dismissed by the court. Both sides appealed. We affirm on both appeals.

On January 20, 1985, Hutchinson was hospitalized at Broadlawns Medical Center following a heart attack. During his hospitalization, an intravenous catheter or IV needle was left in his arm for approximately six days. When the IV was removed, the…