Professional Negligence Law Reporter

Laurene Verikas, 65, went to the UPMC Passavant Cranberry ER, complaining of fever. She vomited shortly after arrival. A physician ordered blood work, an abdominal CT, and a urinalysis. This testing showed that Verikas had an abnormally elevated lactate level at 3.2 mmol/L. The ER physician decided to admit Verikas; however, there were no beds available at the facility, prompting the doctor to order a transfer.

Repeat blood work at the second hospital revealed that Verikas’s white blood cell count had more than doubled from the measurement taken seven hours earlier. A nurse practitioner ordered fluids. Verikas, who was also found to have a high procalcitonin level, experienced low blood pressure, vomiting, and elevated temperatures throughout the evening. Early the next morning, she was found unresponsive. Resuscitative efforts were unsuccessful. The cause of death was determined to be sepsis resulting from a urinary tract infection. Verikas is survived by her two children.

Her estate sued UPMC Passavant Cranberry, UPMC Passavant, and the University of Pittsburgh Physicians, among others, alleging claims for wrongful death and survival. The plaintiff asserted that the defendants had failed to timely diagnose and treat sepsis.

The parties settled for $3.5 million.

Citation: Verikas v. UPMC Passavant Cranberry, No. GD 20-011762 (Pa. Ct. Com. Pl. Allegheny Cnty. Dec. 13, 2023).

Plaintiff counsel: AAJ members Veronica Richards and Karesa Rovnan, both of Pittsburgh.